


Come Back For Me

by MaryLikesRoses



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/M, FP Is Actually Daddy???, Gun Violence, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Bad At Tagging, Implied Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Jughead Jones Needs a Hug, Minor Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge, Past Jughead Jones/Betty Cooper - Freeform, Past Relationship(s), Physical Abuse, Slow Burn, Southside Serpent Jughead Jones, Teen Angst, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Threats of Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-14
Updated: 2019-01-30
Packaged: 2019-02-02 07:01:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 37
Words: 77,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12721872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaryLikesRoses/pseuds/MaryLikesRoses
Summary: Catherine Bell returns to the small secretive town of Riverdale. Upon her return, she reunites with Jughead Jones; her childhood friend until she left at the age of eight. After she left, Jughead suffered from his father's wrongdoings and his parent's divorce, and changed as a person.Catherine hopes to rekindle her relationship with Jughead by being his partner in the school newspaper. Little did she know that she would dig herself deeper into the mystery called Riverdale.





	1. Prologue

It was a regular day at Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe, or so I had thought. 

My day was like any other day. I went to school, then I went to Pop's and worked on my novel. Archie stopped by and had asked Betty to come over. It was average. 

 

Betty came, of course. However, that wasn't the only person who came.

I saw _her_ again.

Her long brown curls rested upon her shoulders as she couldn't stop smiling. I knew it was her by her freckles, perfectly placed across her cheeks and on her nose; and her river blue eyes that I could never tire of swimming in. 

I could tell that she had driven a long way by her comfortable outfit of a gray sweater, yoga pants, and her smudged makeup on her left eye.

I wanted to know everything about her. Where did she go? Why did she leave? Why was she back? And most of all, who is she?

Catherine Bell. I already know that. 

I know her identity all too well, but people change, unfortunately. I know I have since I was eight. 

Her laugh was like the coffee to my morning, and I wanted more of it.

I wanted more of her.

_Catherine._


	2. Nostalgia

**LAST DAY OF FALL BREAK**

**Oct. 9th**

Welcome to Riverdale!

_The town with PEP!_

That was the first sign I had read when I went back to Riverdale.

Yes, I said _back_.

As a young girl, at the ambitious age of eight, I left Riverdale with my parents and my sister to go to Oregon. Mainly for my mom's job. My mom's a detective, whereas my dad is a journalist. Both of them had a tough time in Riverdale because, for one, there was barely any crime besides robberies and vandalism. Two, there was no crime; the best article a journalist could put out was a delicious recipe or how a cat was saved from a tree.

We could've gone somewhere better than Oregon, but we couldn't afford to move to New York or California. I was glad that we moved to the quiet state of Oregon. There wasn't a lot of drama because everyone was either old or stoned. The town was surprisingly much bigger than Riverdale, but that also meant it was harder to make longlasting friends and have a decent childhood.

I had to admit, I was a little afraid to return to Riverdale. I didn't know if my friends were still there, and I hadn't known this town as much as I once did. I only remember Riverdale through the eyes of an ignorant child. I only remember the playground, my old home, my old life. I didn't know if I was going back to my old life or being reborn into a new life.

Returning, it seemed that nothing had changed. Riverdale Elementary was still there, and so was Riverdale High. Pop's Chock'lit shoppe was also still around. Most of the houses looked the exact same as I had left them. Only two or three looked as though they'd been renovated or reconstructed.

"Are you excited, Catherine?" My mom asked me with a wide smile, turning into a neighborhood.

I let out a small weary laugh. "Mom. You've asked me that three times already. Yes, I'm excited."

"Good. There's no going back," my dad commented. He turned to my mother who was still driving the car. "Isn't it funny how everyone seems to be stuck in Riverdale. Even us! And we managed to get out of here for a while."

Mom shrugged. "Who knows. Maybe we're all cursed by the Blossoms," she giggled.

_Blossoms? I don't remember them. I guess that further goes to show how long I've been away._

We pulled up to a vacant house that had a wooden sign, reading "SOLD" in big bold letters. I got out of the car and looked at the two-story home. A cute and quaint house, I'll admit. It was a sky blue color with white wooden panels surrounding the windows. It was the perfect size for just me and my parents.

We began lugging the boxes into the house. The moving men were coming two days from now, so we packed two air mattresses and two pairs of clothes along with necessities to survive the next few days.

As I was hauling a medium sized box into the garage, I heard someone say

"Catherine? Catherine Bell?"

I turned and couldn't believe my eyes. "Betty?!"

I stood in complete disbelief. She was much more girly compared to when we were younger. I fondly remembered when her, me, Jughead, and Archie would play on the school playground. Her and Archie wouldn't care about getting messy, and Betty was basically "one of the guys." I was similar, except I wasn't as much of a sports-driven tomboy.

Now Betty has grown into the typical pink teen, which isn't wrong in any way.

I set down my box quickly and ran up to her, meeting halfway, hugging each other and laughing uncontrollably.

"You're still here!" I exclaimed with a beaming smile.

"And you're back!" She returned the smile. She then tilted her head, still smiling. "Why  _are_  you back?"

"The Jason Blossom case. My mom and dad managed to get a good job here. How are you?!" I briefly explained, wanting to catch up.

"Don't even get me started," she rolled her eyes. "So much has been happening and..." she shook her head a little, before returning the topic back to me. "Hey. I'm on my way to Pop's to see Archie and Jughead. How about we catch up on our way there?"

I hesitated, knowing I had packing to do.

"Uh... well, I should-"

"Go."

I turned around to see my mom.

"Your father and I can handle things from here. They're just boxes," she assured. "Have fun. Be a teen. But be careful," she warned me.

My mom has always a bit overprotective of me since I'm a girl, which is understandable. I usually pay no mind to it, since my dad is even worse when it comes to protection.

I started smiling again, jumping up and down. "Thanks, Mom!" I chirped, before starting to walk with Betty. "I'll see you later!" I hollered back. My mom waved goodbye to us, and I was on my own with Betty for the first time in what felt like forever.

"So, tell me what's happening with you," I asked, interested. I knew I must have missed so much over the years.

Betty took a deep breath and shook her head again. "Oh my god. Well, it's a long story. As you know, Jason is dead."

I nodded, letting her know I was listening. Though, I was exploring our surroundings to reminisce. The trees were already a golden shade, the leaves I stepped on crunched into brown pieces. The sidewalks were cracked and slightly damp, as though it had rained the previous night. The air smelled warm and comforting, the trimmed grass from the nearby park and the smell of damp leaves on the bushes and trees. It was all cathartic and slightly overwhelming, but I still listened to Betty nonetheless. 

"No one knows the killer yet, but remember Polly?" She asked.

"Yeah! How is she?" I asked.

Betty hesitated, before saying "Not good."

I looked over to Betty, who had a worried expression. "She's pregnant... with Jason's baby. My parents locked her up in this-this home for troubled teens!" I could hear the anger and resentment in her voice. "My parents lied to her, and to me. I thought she got into drugs or was suicidal! I mean, I'm glad she's okay at least, but the Blossoms want the baby and my parents don't want the baby, and it's a whole mess."

My eyes were wide, surprised at the whole scenario. Clearly, a lot had happened while I was away.

"Wow. I-I'm sorry, Betty. I didn't know, I-"

"It's okay," Betty assured. "Everyone knows."

By the time she had finished catching me up with everyone else's lives, I walked into Pop's and looked around. I could already smell the maple syrup drizzled on pancakes, and the awakening scent of caffeine from the best coffee in the world. I saw that old battered jukebox, the gumball machines, and the red neon lights that shouted "DINER" in your face. I definitely knew that I was home.

Betty guided me over to a red and silver booth, which had a red-haired boy and another boy with a laptop and a familiar beanie. A grin crept on my face, knowing exactly who they were.

"Guys," Betty called for their attention. The two looked over to see me.

"Catherine?!" They both gasped.

I smiled and nodded. "You guys look great!" I squealed, overflowing with endorphins. Betty sat next to Archie and I was left to sit next to Jughead.

A waitress immediately came over once she saw us take a seat.

"Would any of you girls like something to drink?" She asked with a friendly smile.

"I'm fine," I assured, knowing that I didn't bring any money.

"Get something!" Archie egged on. "It's on me. Consider it a welcome back gift."

I didn't protest and took the menu, memories flooding my mind of all of the food I used to order here. I went with my go-to options for old times sake.

"I'll have the chocolate waffles with a cup of coffee, black."

"You got it," the waitress nodded. She looked to Betty for an order, but she shook her head with a kind smile.

I placed my head on the table for a minute to catch my breath.

"Overwhelmed?" Archie asked.

I raised my head and propped my chin on my supporting hand. "Yeah," I admitted. "I drove for hours and hours and I only got in an hour nap in the car."

Betty made a concerned face. "Why didn't you sleep?"

"I was scared," I sheepishly told them. "I was afraid you guys wouldn't be here and I would be alone."

"I don't think anyone ever leaves Riverdale," Jughead scoffed.

"Finally! You said something," Archie teased.My head perked up, ecstatic to talk to Jughead.

"Yeah! How are you, Juggy?" I asked him, still unable to stop smiling.

"I'm good," he assured, taking a hard swallow. "You?" He stared at me.

"I'm great."

I heard the plate clink on the hard table, and I turned to see the food and coffee in front of me.

"There you go, Miss Bell," the waitress sang.

_How did she know me? Maybe she knew me when I was younger. Everyone knows everyone in this town anyways._

"Thanks," I turned to look at her. Still unfamiliar. I looked back at my food, ravenous from the long trip.

"I see you got your favorite food, Jingle," Jughead commented.

I started laughing, forgetting about his nickname for me. As a kid, I came up with the name Juggy. Everyone called him Jug, but I was the only one who called him Juggy. It completely stumped Jughead that I had a nickname for him, but he didn't have one for me. Then, in the middle of rehearsal for the Christmas school play, he blurted out "JINGLE!" during the song Jingle Bell Rock.

He repeated it and pointed at me, saying "Jingle," much softer than before. He called me that because my last name was Bell, and he put two and two together.

After that moment, we both had exclusive nicknames for each other that no one else cared to use.

"I forgot about that name!" I laughed. "I haven't been called that in  _years_."

I dug into my chocolate waffle and let it melt on my tongue. I slouched in my seat, satisfied.

"Mmmm..." I groaned. "It still is my favorite."

"Where's Veronica?" Archie asked, suddenly.

"Veronica?" I didn't remember who she was.

"Oh! Veronica is kinda new here. Her mom used to live here before we were born. She's a part of the gang now," Archie explained.

Betty answered with "Oh, Veronica is busy shopping."

Archie shrugged and sipped his coffee, reminding me to make my own. I poured some creamer and sugar into it, which transformed into a caramel color.

I took a sip and was relieved from being overwhelmed. I let out a deep breath I was holding in and set down my drink.

We caught up on small parts of our lives, barely scraping the tip of the iceberg. All of us talked aside from Jughead. He was unusually mute, which was strange since he would be easy to talk to. At least when we were younger.

Before I knew it, it was starting to get dark. I had gotten to Pop's awfully late, and I knew I had to help unpack at home.

I stood up and turned to the gang, saying my goodbyes before I promised to see them at school tomorrow.

I walked home alone, and once I got into the door I was bombarded with questions.

"Did you make any friends?"

"How is Pop? Is he still there?"

"Is Betty's mom still crazy?"

"How's Jellybean?"

I answered all of them, still tired and weary.

"Yes, good, yes, yes, and I don't know," I mumbled, slugging my way up the stairs.

My room was moderately sized. It provided me with a nice view of the street and the park across it. I blew up my air mattress and took a long shower before getting into my own bed. I stared at the ceiling, thinking about how good Jughead and Archie looked. I was more interested in Jug and wondered if we could be as good of friends as before.

I was determined to make that happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am weary on a school night pleas be kind


	3. Locker Buddies

**FIRST DAY AFTER FALL BREAK**

**Oct. 10th**

"Catherine!" My dad hollered from downstairs, probably for the third time. "Come on! We have to get breakfast at Pop's this morning. We don't have any food in the house."

I opened my eyes, forgetting I was in Riverdale. All of it felt like a crazy dream. I wasn't quite sure yet if it was a good dream or not.

I got up and quickly threw on a pair of black jeans and an oversized baseball tee. My outfits were always plain and simple. I was either wearing a sweater or a large tee shirt. I didn't care enough to waste my time digging through my closet for an outfit every morning.

However, I did care about makeup and hair. I combed through my hair to rid it of knots but made sure to not lose my curls. I spent around ten minutes doing my makeup until dad burst into my room and forced me out. I tucked my lipstick in my backpack so I could do that later.

I got in the car with dad and brought down the overhead mirror to make sure my eyeliner looked sharp.

"Where's mom?" I asked, gently touching my eyelashes.

"Work," he shook his head, backing out of the driveway.

I never knew my mom's schedule since it was always so hectic. She would get called into work at random times. Some days, when I was younger, I would be forgotten at school and be picked up two hours later by my dad, who rushed out of work in a panic.

Dad and I got to Pop's and I ordered the same thing as yesterday. I ate pretty fast, while my dad took his time.

My stomach swirled a little, thinking about my first day at a new school. The idea of being late to school and forgetting my new classes nagged at me.

"Hey, Dad?" I asked.

He looked up at me, his dark eyebrows raised, forehead crinkling.

"Can I walk to school right now? I don't want to risk being late."

My dad sighed before saying "Alright. Don't forget, your car will be here in a few days so you can drive to school."

I smiled and nodded, before standing up. I kissed my dad on his scruffy cheek before saying bye.

I snuck into the bathroom at Pop's really quick to put on my pink nude lipstick. It was my number one favorite lipstick and I wouldn't trade it for anything. It was semi-matte so it was smooth but also long wearing. Mom bought it for me a while ago and I haven't used any other lipstick since.

I ran out of the door and began my journey to school. I got the directions off my phone since I had no memory of where the school was.

The walk was quiet. There was a gentle breeze in the air and the sun was already out. I observed the houses and trees I passed by, taking in the fact that I was actually back and it all wasn't a dream.

After about fifteen minutes I found my way. There was also fifteen minutes left until the bell rang, so I had more than enough time. I reached the steps of the school and saw people glancing at me, shooting whispers to their friends and either laughing or nodding.

Immediately, I felt somewhat unwanted; their attention was isolating.

Once I walked through the doors, the atmosphere got more oppressive. The room began swirling around me, and I was at a loss for breath. I retreated to the office to get a map of the school, wanting their eyes off of me.

I stepped up to the secretary, who raised her head from her work, at attention.

"Hi. Erm... I need a map?" I awkwardly asked, still feeling dizzy.

She quietly opened a desk drawer, filtered through some folders, and finally pulled out three papers. One for the first floor, the second, and for the third.

"What's your name?" She finally spoke.

"Catherine Bell."

She went on her computer for a minute and then printed out a paper. Once she handed it to me, I closely observed it.

**Locker Code:**  1353

**Locker Number:**  42

** Schedule: **

**Period 1:**  Algebra 2

**Period 2:**  Music

**Period 3:** P.E.

**Period 4:**  Lunch

**Period 5:**  Biology

**Period 6:**  English 10

I left the office after saying thanks and made my way to my locker. I unlocked it only to dump all of my items into it, knowing I would organize it between my passing periods.

It was five minutes before the bell, and I had no idea where any of my friends were. I hid in front of my locker so that I had room to breathe.

"Hey, Jingle," I heard Jughead say behind my locker door. I closed my locker to see him in front of another open locker, right next to me.

My eyes widened as I realized we were going to be neighbors. "Are we locker buddies?!" I gasped, relieved that I at least had him to talk to.

"I guess we are. The guy next to me left, so here you are," he gave a small smile. "How's your first day in the bullpen so far?"

I let out a sigh, before saying "Hectic."

"I hear ya," he nodded, closing his locker. "It doesn't get better."

"Gee. Thanks," I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms. I leaned on my locker, listening to him.

"Well, at least I'm honest. Archie told me things would get better, and boy, was I disappointed," he said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

I laughed a little, appreciating his honesty.

I was caught completely off-guard by the feeling of a wet kiss on my cheek. I stiffened, only to see a group of jocks laugh and run away.

"I should've warned you about that. They always do that to the new girls," Jug told me, distaste showing clearly.

"I would've liked the warning," I nodded, wiping the kiss from my cheek. "Disgusting pigs..."

The bell rang, cutting our conversation short.

"What's your first period?" Jug asked.

"Algebra 2. You?"

"Same. I'll walk you there."

I accepted his offer, following him like a lost puppy to class.

My first three classes went by quickly. Archie was in my music class, and Betty was in my P.E. class. I had yet to find Veronica and meet her myself.

Lunch came around, and I brought a bagged lunch. I was not risking having a stomach virus from the cafeteria's mystery meat.

I looked around only to find none of my friends, so I went outside and found a nice tree to sit under. The cool shade was perfect for me to look around and observe people. Some of the jocks were playing football or soccer, while some girls played volleyball. Then there were the kids just sitting, laughing, having a good time.

I heard someone clear their throat, so I looked up to find Jughead, yet again.

"I'm seeing you a lot today, Juggy," I teased.

"Well, we  _do_  go to the same school, Jingle," he replied, holding out his hand. I packed my lunch away and took his hand, letting him help me up.

"Where are we going?" I followed him yet again.

"To our friends?" He spoke as if it was obvious.

We approached Betty, Archie, another girl, who I'm assuming was Veronica and another guy with dark hair.

"Everybody, Catherine. Catherine, everybody," Jughead introduced, before sitting us both down.

"Catherine Bell?" The unknown man asked.

"Yep!" I answered.

"It's me. Kevin. Kevin Keller?" He told me.

My eyes widened as I gasped. "You're still here too?!" I exclaimed.

"He's also  _very_ gay," Veronica chimed in, leaning in front of him. "Hi, I'm Veronica Lodge," she shook my hand.

"So I've heard," I nodded, observing her. "I missed you yesterday."

I could already tell Veronica wasn't my type, judging by how easy it was for her to skip out on the gang to go shopping. Then again, I was willing to keep an open mind. After all, if everyone likes her then eventually I should too.

"Sorry about that. I needed a new wardrobe. It's a new season," she apologized in her own little way.

"How's moving coming along?" Betty asked, leaning forward a little in interest.

"Slow," I admitted. "I'm sleeping on an air mattress and my boxes don't get here until tomorrow," I rolled my eyes.

"Sounds rough," Archie chimed in. "Where's your sister by the way?" He asked.

"Oh yeah! Claire!" Kevin remembered.

A knot formed in my throat, but I forced it down. I suddenly got quieter. "She's uh... still in Oregon."

"You don't sound too happy about that," Betty said, a little disappointed.

"I'm not," I admitted. "I miss her like crazy."

"You can always visit her," Archie reminded me. The knot returned.

"Yeah," I said, my voice wavering. I cleared my throat and took a deep breath, smiling again. "Enough about me. How's Jellybean?" I turned to Jug.

He too looked a little down. "She's fine. She living with my mom at my grandparents because my parents got a divorce."

I immediately felt horrible for asking. "I'm sorry to hear about that," I told him. "How long ago?"

He tilted his head left to right, then saying "About three months after you left. I had a pretty bad time, but I'm alright now."

I felt even worse, knowing that I wasn't there to help him through his parent's divorce. I wanted to voice that, but I didn't want to make things awkward in front of our friends.

"Well well well," an unfamiliar voice said beside me.

I looked over to see a girl with long wavy red hair, and an intimidating facial expression with a crooked smile. She held her hand out, saying "Cheryl Blossom. I had to see you for myself, and wow, the boys are right."

I took her hand and shook it.

"Right about what?" I asked.

"You look like a homeless model," she coldly said, not batting an eye.

I raised my brows, surprised that she was talking to me like that. I retracted a little, looking at everyone else and then back at her.

"Excuse me?" I scoffed at her, looking her up and down.

"C'mon, Cheryl. Give her a break," Veronica snapped. There was this sort of tenseness between the two of them, causing me to wonder what had occurred between them previous to my arrival.

"Why don't you stay in your lane for once?" She napped at Veronica, clenching her fists.

"I am. My lane is in Catherine's lane. If you don't like it, then I can run you off the road," Veronica stood up.

Cheryl's eyes beamed down at me as if gears began turning in her head for the first time in a couple of years.

"Catherine..." she repeated out loud. Her attitude completely changed, her red lips twinging into a devilish grin. "I have a feeling we'll meet again soon."

With that vague statement, she took her leave.

"The fuck is her problem?" I asked, confused. I ended up pulling out my lunch once again.

"For starters, she has a dead brother," Jughead reminded me.

"Yeah, but that doesn't give her an excuse to be a jerk," I mumbled, raising my sandwich to my mouth.

"She's always been like that," Betty shook her head. "I'm afraid it's something you'll have to get used to."

The bell rang as I was in the middle of chewing my sandwich.

"Who has Biology?" I desperately asked, my mouth full.

"All of us," Jughead told me. "Come on."

I scarfed down my sandwich as I tried to keep up with the gang.

The final two periods also went by quickly, so I was left to walk home alone.

Before I could even cross the grass, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I jumped, afraid it was going to be some jock about to suck on my cheek. Thankfully, instead, it was Juggy.

"Hey, uh. Which way are you headed?" He asked.

I pointed in the vague direction of my home.

"Alright. Let's go."

Jughead was incredibly nice to me the whole day, which was refreshing. It truly made me feel welcomed back into Riverdale.

"I really appreciate you helping me today. I would've been so lost without you," I admitted, as him and I walked on the sidewalk.

"You wouldn't have been  _that_  lost. You had a map of the school," he reminded me.

"I would've still been lost. Trust me," I laughed under my breath. I couldn't help but think about how much Jughead had changed since we were younger. He was a lot more cynical and sarcastic, but much quieter too. Thankfully not too quiet around me, but he was to others. He also seemed very anti-social.

I couldn't help but blame it on his parent's divorce. The moment in his life when I left. I guess we both suffered from my leaving.

"So what does Claire do for a living?" Jug asked, trying to make conversation.

"Oh, uh, she's a waitress for college money," I explained.

"That's good. My moms also in college getting an education. She's doing online classes to get her GED, though," He told me.

"What is she majoring in?" I asked him, continuing the small talk.

"I don't know. I didn't ask," he said, a little quieter.

My house was coming up after two blocks, but I wanted to catch up with Jughead.

"What else happened after I left Riverdale?" I asked him.

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Everything just got too real, mostly because we all got older," he said. I couldn't tell if he was joking or not. "How was Oregon?"

"Boring. I had a hard time making friends until the very end. Even then, they weren't really best friend material, you know?" I told him.

Before I knew it, we were already at my house.

"So this is where our journey ends," I sadly told him, trying to keep up a smile.

"So it is. You said it was two days until you get your car?" He asked.

I nodded.

"So what time should I stop by in the morning?"

I smiled a little, saying: "Seven. I have to eat breakfast at Pop's or else I'll starve. It'll be my treat, though," I pointed at him, as I backed away onto my driveway.

"Alright. Seven it is," he gave a small smile, before waving me goodbye. I walked into my house to find my mom.

"Was that Jughead?" She asked, intrigued.

"Yeah."

"Wow," she peered through the window to watch him walk away. "He got handsome, didn't he?"

"Mom!" I whined, not wanting to talk about it.

"What? I'm just sayin'."

I jogged up my stairs and started my homework, thinking about Claire. I got upset over her yet again, so I played upbeat music on my Spotify and continued my homework. I took my camera and walked around the park across from my street and took pictures of the leaves and cool shots of the benches.

I retreated back home once the sun started to set, and prepared for my next day of school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sad there isn't an episode this week :( I hope this fills a void in ur heart


	4. Rekindle

**Tuesday**

**Oct. 11th**

I woke up to the sound of my alarm. I shielded my eyes from the sun streaming in through the dusty windows. I forced myself to sit up, my feet touching the cold wooden floor. Curse the fall weather.

I ran through my daily routine: makeup, clothing, hygienics. My dad was cooking eggs and making toast. He looked over to me to find that I had my backpack already slung over my shoulder.

"I woke up early and got some groceries," he told me, raising his pan a little to show me the sizzling scrambled eggs.

"Oh, that's nice dad, but I was going to go to Pop's with Jughead," I confessed to him.

He lowered his pan back onto the stove, seeming a little upset.

"Jughead, huh?" He mumbled.

_Oh man. Why is my dad so tough when it comes to boys?_

"We're just getting breakfast, dad," I assured. "It's only for today."

He just nodded. "Well, just be careful. I don't want to have to get out my shotgun," he warned.

"Dad!" I rolled my eyes. "You know Jughead. I'll be fine."

"Oh, I remember him. He almost set fire to your elementary school. Remember that?" He pointed his spatula at me. I couldn't take him seriously when he pointed a _spatula_ at me.

"We were six, dad. We-"

I looked at the time to see it was 7:07 A.M. and cut my sentence short.

"I have to go," I told him. "I'll help unpack later, okay?"

He just quietly nodded, giving me the cold shoulder. I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and ran to the door. "Love you, dad!"

"Love you too, kid."

I opened the door to find Jughead sitting on my steps. He turned to see me and smiled.

"I thought you forgot about me," he joked around.

"Never in a million, Juggy," I assured. "How long were you out here?"

He pushed himself off of the stair he was sitting on, before stretching his hands in the air.

"Uh, seven minutes?"

He looked at his phone, then saying "Eight."

I grinned and shook my head, walking down the stairs with him. I shoved my hands in my pocket, feeling the cold air of autumn.

"So how's your dad doing?" I asked Jug.

"Fine," he sharply responded. I could tell he didn't want to talk about it, so I dropped it.

"That's good," I nodded. "Uh, so what is everyone saying about the Jason Blossom case?"

He shrugged, saying: "Well, I'm apparently a suspect." My eyes widened slightly, enough for him to notice. He let out a gentle laugh. "Don't be too scared, though. Archie's dad made an alibi for me, so I'm partially free. People still like to point fingers in this town," he slouched over a little, also putting his hands in his pockets.

"So what you're saying is that everyone's against you?"

"That's one way to put it," he deadpanned, avoiding my gaze.

I gave him a hopeful smile, even though he wasn't looking at me.

"Well, it's only been a day, but I believe you, Juggy."

He looked over to see my smile, so he returned the gesture.

We walked all the way to Pop's and sat down in the same booth as the day before yesterday.

The waitress came by with a perky smile. "What can I get for you kids?"

I looked at Jughead for him to answer. His eyes widened a little as he panicked.

"I don't need anything," he assured, pushing his menu away.

I opened my mouth, agape. "No. You're getting something or else I'll pick something for you," I demanded.

He leaned back and rested his head in the net of his hands, amusement on his face. "Pick away, Jingles."

He eyes followed me as I sifted through the menu quickly.

"He'll have chocolate pancakes with bananas and rainbow sprinkles with whip cream. He'll also have a chocolate shake with a cherry on top," I remembered from our childhood.

His parents and mine used to occasionally come here for brunch together, and Jughead would get the same thing every time.

"And I'll have chocolate pancakes with some coffee," I smiled cockily at both the waitress and Jughead, closing my menu and handing it to her.

She took Jughead's menu as he sat in amazement. He put his hands down, looking at me with both surprise and fear in his eyes.

"How did you remember all of that?" He asked. "Not even Betty or Archie remember that."

I rested my chin on my supporting hands. "Oh, Juggy. Don't you remember how good of friends we were?" I asked.

He relaxed and nodded a little. "That's also true. Remember when we would play house in my treehouse?" He reminisced.

I laughed, nodding my head as I covered my mouth. "And you would pretend to make tea and I would always pretend to dump the tea kettle out, and one time I dropped it on Jellybeans head from outside the window and you took the blame?"

Jughead genuinely smiled for once. "Yeah. I got a good yell from my dad that night. We thought we gave Jelly a concussion," he snickered.

We both laughed at our childhood antics over breakfast. We left Pop's and went about our daily lives.

**Friday**

**Oct. 14th**

Within the past week, I felt our friendship rekindling quickly and things began to work out for me.

My car had come in, but I hated driving ever since I had left Riverdale. I hated being in cars, period. I used to ride my bike every day back in Oregon. I would ride my bike to school now, but I preferred walking with Jughead.

After that day, every morning Jug and I would go to Pop's and I would pay for the two of us. He would always get the smallest meal to save my bank account. Afterward, we would go to school and learn, hang out at lunch, chat during passing period, and then he would walk me home. I never saw where he lived, though. I had always assumed it was at his old house, so I never bothered to check.

After that first week, the school's counselor talked to me about extracurricular activities. I direly wished to go to college so I could be independent. I wanted the experience and I wanted to learn. I expressed that to the counselor, but they strictly told me that colleges like extracurriculars, saying I should join a club or a sport.

I sat at lunch, completely and utterly stumped.

"I don't know what to do guys," I sighed, my head rested on my crossed arms.

"Maybe you can join the Vixens! You have the body for it," Veronica encouraged.

"Didn't tryouts end like, two weeks ago?" Archie asked.

"You'd know," Kevin rolled his eyes.

"Maybe you could take my place in the Vixens. I'm completely overworked with homework, the newspaper,  _and_  cheer," Betty joked.

"That's it!" Jughead perked up. He turned to me with a surge of excitement. "You can join the school newspaper!"

"That's right up my alley, actually," I admitted, sitting up slowly. "I've always loved investigative journalism. I'm actually pretty good at digging into people's pasts and stuff."

"So... stalking?" Veronica questioned.

"Well, I wouldn't call it that. I'm not  _obsessed_  with them. I'm just finding some receipts," I shrugged.

"But, uh, what about me?" Betty asked Jug, sounding offended.

Jughead shrugged and looked between me and Betty. "W-well I just suggested it because you have so much on your plate that maybe Catherine could help you out a little?" he justified himself.

Betty crossed her arms and shrugged, looking away. "Yeah, I guess," she softly said.

"I can do it part time if you want. I just really need something to do," I pleaded.

"No, no, you're fine," Betty just smiled a little at me. I could tell that she was hurt by something. I'll find out sooner or later, so I bit my tongue on the subject for now.

Later on, I was alone with Veronica in English 10. We were both working on an assignment together about Of Mice and Men.

"Hey, Veronica?" I whispered, glancing over at her.

"Yeah?" She turned to me.

"Why do you think Betty seemed so bothered about the whole newspaper thing?" I asked, twiddling my fingers.

"Oh, I don't think. I  _know_ ," she started off. "Her and Jughead dated for like, a month. They were cute and all and then Betty's parents didn't like Jughead's dad and then they were forced apart. Capulet and the Montagues in Romeo and Juliet. Jughead came to terms with it, but Betty still isn't over it," Veronica explained. "The newspaper is the only time she has to see Jughead."

"And I'm ruining it?" I sighed, a little upset.

Veronica nodded. "Personally, I think it's good that you're taking over. Maybe Betty can finally move on. You'd be helping her in a weird way."

I looked down at my book in thought. "Does Jug know that Betty still likes him?" I asked.

"I'm pretty sure," Veronica nodded. "If not, then he's not as smart as I thought he was."

I paused and turned to Veronica. "Wait. What's so bad about F.P?" 

I had always remembered F.P. as the man who would wear plaid shirts, his sleeves slightly rolled up from being used to his construction job. He'd work on his bike and explain to me and Jug exactly what he was doing, where he would put the nuts and bolts, and taught us typical dad things. I was curious as to why he would be considered as a problem.

She rolled her lips into her mouth, raising her brows. "I think I've said too much. You'll find out sooner or later," she smiled at me, returning to her reading.

I was even more stumped than before I talked to Veronica.

On the way home, I decided to talk to Jughead about the newspaper.

"What about it?" He asked.

I shrugged and clasped my hands together. "Well, Betty seemed bothered about me joining the paper. I don't want to upset her or anything-"

"You're not. Trust me," he calmed me.

"I know you both had a thing before and-"

"Before," he reminded me. "You don't need to tiptoe around that. Just join. We'll have fun and Betty can stop by and help whenever she can. Simple as that."

I let out a sigh, nodding.

We already made it to my house, where the U-Haul truck was parked in front of it.

I noticed my dad's car wasn't in the garage, and neither was my mom's.

"Great. Looks like I'm left to unpack," I sighed, walking up the driveway.

"I can help if you want," Jughead offered, following me up the driveway.

I stopped and turned with a smile.

"Don't you have homework or something?" I asked.

"Don't you?" He replied.

I slowly nodded, murmuring "Touché."

I let him into my house and we dropped our bags off in the kitchen. My dad had left a note for me on the counter.

"Dear Cathy. I was called into work so I won't be home until eight. There are frozen dinners for you, and mom should be home at nine. Love you," I read aloud, before looking at Jughead.

"Well, we have four hours to kill. Let's unpack and impress your parents," he smiled a little.

I pulled off my sweater, feeling my stomach exposed to the cold air. Once it was off, I pulled down my V-neck shirt.

"Let's do this," I smiled.

We both went to work, slaving up and down the ramp. It was a real workout for the two of us. At one point we were carrying the couch down the rail and Jug made a funny face as he struggled to hold the end of it. I nearly pissed myself laughing, and accidentally let go of the couch. We both watched it slide down onto the road and Jug gave me an angry look, which made me laugh even harder. My laughing caused Jug to crack a smile and laugh a little. Once we, and I mean me, calmed down, we carried the couch inside without any problems.

It was six, the sun was going down, and Jug and I had unpacked half of the boxes.

"Do you want to go home before it gets dark?" I asked him, setting up my pictures on my dresser.

"I'm good. We're almost done anyways. I have the streetlights to guide me home," he assured, putting the knickknacks on my dresser.

"Suit yourself, but you gotta go fifteen minutes before eight or else my dad will shoot you," I warned, laughing a little.

"Why is that?" Jug asked, stopping and looking over at me.

"You? A male with hormones? Around me? A female with hormones? Oh no! Neither of them could  _ever_  be friends!" I dramatically gasped and waved my hands around.

He smiled at my sarcasm, and simply said "True."

We rushed and managed to tidy the house. We unpacked all of the boxes beside a few containing my parent's belongings. The two of us sat in the living room on the couch, doing our homework on the coffee table. We went off of each other's answers and complained about school, like most teenagers do. I looked over to Jughead, who narrowed his eyes at his paper. He used his thumb to flick the tip of his nose. I grinned a little at his concentration.

My grin broke once I saw a pair of lights shine upon his skin. I turned in horror to see headlights peer through the front windows of my house.

"Shit!" I gasped, hitting Jugs shoulder. "C'mon. The back door!"

Jug quickly grabbed his backpack and I let him out. I forgot he left his jacket behind the front door, so I quickly grabbed it and ran out the back to find Jug halfway over the wall.

"Jug!" I whisper yelled. He stopped, and I ran up to him and handed him his jacket. "Thank you."

"See you at seven," he smiled, before falling on the other side of the fence.

"Catherine?" My dad called.

I turned and walked inside, trying to seem casual.

"Oh hey, dad," I smiled. "You're home early."

"You did a good job of moving everything in," he nodded, looking around the living room. "I said on the note that the movers were coming tomorrow, though."

"I know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel so good this week and I hope my work reflects that :)


	5. Youth

**WEEK AND A HALF BEFORE HALLOWEEN**

**Oct. 17th**

Jughead and I were in the Blue and Gold headquarters, discussing the Jason Blossom case. In all honesty, I had zoned out and watched his lips move while he talked. My mom explained the case to me already since she'd been working on it, but I didn't want to cut Jughead off. He seemed really into the case and all of its details.

"Do you get it?" He asked, finally finished with connecting the strings on the murder board.

I tilted my head at the board. "I think I do." I hopped off of the table, to the board before pointing at a card that said "The Coopers."

"What does Betty's family have to do with anything?" I questioned, curious.

Jughead sighed, leaning against the table. He crossed his arms and said "Some files were stolen from the sheriff's office on the night when everyone went to the drive-in. Everyone was there besides her dad."

I raised my eyebrows, removing my finger from the card. "I can probably figure out if that's true or not."

"Can I ask how?"

"Sleepover at Betty's house. Just me and her doing girl things. I don't think her mom hates me yet," I smiled, a little cocky. Jughead rolled his eyes with a grin. "Besides. I'm hoping I can clear her name off of the board instead of cementing it on..."

"Sounds like a plan."

We turned to the doorway to find Betty in her Vixens uniform. She strutted in and came face to face with me.

"When do you want the sleepover?" She asked calmly.

"Whenever is good for you," I raised my chin a little.

"Saturday night it is," she gave a sharp nod, before looking at Jughead. "Meanwhile  _you_  can actually type out the newspaper."

"Looking forward to it," Jughead deadpanned.

Betty left the room, leaving Jughead and me alone once again. I turned to him, widening my eyes a little before letting out a deep breath.

"So... are you going to the party Friday night?" I asked, changing the subject.

He looked left to right, then behind him before pointing to himself. "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were asking  _me_  if I was going to something called a  _party_."

I smiled and sat next to him. "C'mon, Juggy. You gotta have fun in your teen years," I told him. "Adults always say that it all goes away so quickly. Besides, you'll be with me. It's not like you'll be going alone."

He sighed, giving in. "Where is it?" He asked, monotoned.

"Some kid named Reggie's place. A couple of the jocks invited me."

"Jocks? No way. They hate me," he denied, standing up.

"Aw, come on! If they give you a problem then they'll have to go through me. We can both leave and go walk somewhere," I promised, also standing up. I took his sleeve and looked him in his blue-green eyes. "Please?" I gave one last plea.

I could tell that he saw how much it would mean to me. "Fine." He unpleasantly agreed. "My funeral."

I let go of his sleeve and smiled at him, glad that I had won.

**Friday**

**Oct. 21st**

My hair rested upon my black dress with playful ruffles and the end of my knee-high dress. I stared in the mirror and carefully finished my makeup: smoked out eyes and red lipstick. My mom was leaning in my doorway as I finished up my makeup.

"Now remember, honey. I know it's weird to talk about, but if you think you're going to have sex tonight then I want you to take these," my mom said, holding up two packets of condoms.

I widened my eyes and looked away. "Mom!" I groaned. "I don't think I'm going to be doing anything like that."

"You never know," she said, putting it on the counter. "If you get into any trouble don't be afraid to call me. I don't care what it is. I just want you to be safe."

"Okay, mom," I assured, leaving my bathroom. "It's just a party."

"You'd be surprised how Riverdale parties can get. I remember what they were like when I was your age," she reminisced.

I heard a knock downstairs. I raced down to see Jughead in his usual clothes, but more cleaned up. His eyes widened once he saw me.

"I didn't know we were dressing up. I would've worn my suit," he scoffed, slightly embarrassed.

"I didn't overdress too much," I looked down at myself, trying to make him feel better.

My mom leaned in the doorway. "Hi, Jughead. Take care of my daughter, okay?" She smiled, teasing us both.

"Will do Mrs. Bell," he gave a nod and a kind smile.

I walked down the steps with Jughead and we made our way down to Reggie's house. The house was practically overflowing with people, scattered in every room, the lawn, and the backyard. Trash was everywhere, as though this place was a massive trash can. Upon walking inside, I felt claustrophobic. Practically half of the school was in this tiny home. It reeked of booze and sweat from everyone—especially the dudes—dancing til they're dead. My heart was buzzing with the bass of the music as the floor practically vibrated.

I lead Jughead inside where we maneuvered past people to get to the couch. People were dancing like crazy in the middle of the living room as if it was the main dance floor, and the couch was already full of people passionately groping and kissing each other.

"Hey! Catherine!" I heard Reggie call out from the crowd. He waved and pushed through the crowd to reach me. "I'm really glad you made it. You look... great," he checked me out.

"I know," I smiled at him.

He looked past me to see Jughead standing there, brows set with his hands in his pockets. He looked out of place, which was easy for Reggie to comment on.

"What are you doing here, Dracula?" Reggie called out Jughead. I stepped in front of Reggie with a cold stare.

"He's my plus one. Do you have a problem with that?" I asked, ready to fight. Even though I wasn't afraid to throw a punch, I knew Reggie could easily take me down.

He looked between the two of us, before saying "No, not at all. I'll see you around, though. Make sure you try the punch tonight. It's my own recipe," he winked, before disappearing into the crowd.

"Asshole," I murmured, making Jughead smirk with a scoff.

"They're all the same. They all flock to the new girl for her beauty and not for her personality, as usual," he shook his head, looking out to the crowd.

I smiled a little, taking that as a compliment. I looked around for the punch, which was in the corner of the room. Beside the punch bowl was an assortment of snacks waiting to be eaten.

"We're gonna rob this place of food. Come on," I nudged Jughead's shoulder before leading the way.

He followed me to the punch and he ate some of the snacks there. I tried a cup of punch and actually liked it. It was sweet, yet bitter at the same time.

Jughead and I ate food and watched people dance in the room, and others make out on the couch or against the walls. I drank about two cups of punch before I started to become more confident. A late 2000's upbeat song came on and I couldn't contain myself.

"Come on, Jug. Let's dance," I giggled, taking his hands and pulling him towards the dance floor.

He froze up, resisting a little. "J-Jingle. I can't dance-"

"Neither can I!" I hollered over the music.

I started off with the stupidest dance moves I had ever done, and Jughead just moved a little. The climax of the song came on and I took his hands, jerking him around and forcing him to get into it. He twirled me around.

"Yeah!" I egged him on. "See? You know how to dance, Jug!"

He sheepishly smiled, his cheeks growing red.

The song ended, and I dragged the two of us off of the floor for a little while for a break. I was thirsty, so I drank two more cups of punch.

Jug and I cheered some other people on in the dance floor. Some kids were doing these crazy breakdancing moves. I decided to go out and dance alone while Jughead watched and encouraged me. Womanizer by Britney Spears came on, and everyone got down, including me. I let the music take me away, and I let go of any care I had. I moved with the music and ended up dancing with complete strangers, laughing and having an amazing time.

After the song, Reggie caught me walking off the dance floor.

"Wow, you were really hot out there," he pressed himself against me.

"Oh, thanks," was all I could say, as I tried to move away.

"How's the punch?" He asked me.

I gave him a thumbs up as I made it back, trying to avoid him. Again, I was incredibly thirsty. I drank two or three more cups of the punch before I realized one crucial mistake.

_It was spiked._

Once I realized that I had just drunk five cups of alcohol, I felt even drunker than before. It was my first time being drunk, and it wasn't how I wanted it to go at all. I knew what was happening, but I felt out of control. Some of the jocks noticed how drunk I was and tried to take advantage of me. They would take my shoulder, breathe in my face with devilish and deceiving grins, and made sure I was in no position to fight back. I was weakly fending off myself, but they kept insisting on things that I didn't understand.

I could only shake my head as I held my hands in front of me, guarding myself.

"Hey! Back off!" I heard Jughead shout, helping me out.

I looked up to see Reggie and Jughead getting into a fight, pushing each other.

"Oh, Jughead..." I sighed, holding my head and shaking it. I wanted to help him, but I knew I was either going to pass out or throw up.

I suddenly heard some loud howling in the room. I saw some biker gang come in with leather jackets and all.

"Oh shit," Reggie said, now panicked. "The Serpents."

Reggie backed off of Jughead and tried to contain the situation. Jughead took my arm and sternly said: "Let's get out of this joint."

I followed him as far as I could—which was the front lawn—before I blacked out.

 

* * *

 

I opened my eyes after a little while to find myself looking at the night sky. I then realized that someone was carrying me.

"Juggy?" I groaned, carefully rubbing my eye so I wouldn't ruin my makeup.

"I'm here," he assured, looking down at me.

I relaxed a little in his arms, lulling my head away. "I'm sorry," I finally said. "This was a bad idea in the first place and-"

"Hey, hey, hey. I had a fun time, alright? Even if you did get spiked and I almost got my ass kicked," he joked around. I smiled a little and looked to see where we were. We were crossing the park in front of my house.

I hit Jughead's shoulder, before saying "Can we hang out here before I go inside? I want to put off my punishment."

"Yeah, of course," he told me, letting me down. I stood on my own two feet and nearly fell over. Jughead guided me over to the nearest bench where we sat and chatted.

I looked at the sky again to make out some constellations and planets, even though they were still a little blurry. As I looked up, it felt as though the world was spinning which was jarring and nauseating.

"So who are the serpents?" I asked. "I thought I heard Reggie say something about the people that crashed the party."

"Oh. It's just some lousy gang that hangs out in the south part of town. Their full name is The South Side Serpents," he briefly explained. "I wouldn't worry about them, though. Trust me."

I nodded, looking over at my house. The lights were on and I saw my mom in the kitchen reading a book as she cooked something.

"Mom's home. Not too sure about dad, though," I thought aloud.

"You should go home," he suggested. "Come on. I'll help you in."

I didn't need help walking anymore, but I let Jughead put his arm around me for security. Once I approached my doorstep, I opened the door on my own.

"Thank you, again. I'd be lying on Reggie's front lawn if it wasn't for you," I gave a relieved smile.

"I'll see you on Monday?" He asked.

"Sunday," I corrected. "I'll have some information about Betty's parents then."

He nodded, saying "Right. Sleepover. Have fun with that," with sarcasm.

I gave a tired weary smile. "Bye, Juggy," I slowly closed the door.

"See you around, Jingles."

Once I closed my door, I was faced with my mom.

"How was it?" She asked, eager to hear.

I felt myself physically melt into sickness."I'm going to throw up."

Her eyes widened as I tripped a little. She was able to get a firm grip on me and ended up having to help me upstairs. I stumbled onto the bathroom floor, crawling up to my toilet where I hunched over.

"So did you choose to get drunk or...?" My mom trailed off, a little disappointed.

"The punch was-"

I vomited into my toilet, and let out some dry heaves. I hugged the toilet as if it were my only friend

"Spiked," I weakly finished my sentence. "I wasn't planning on getting drunk. Believe me."

My mom sighed and said "Next time, don't drink the punch. It's usually spiked. If it isn't spiked then it's not a party."

I smiled a little, still spitting into the toilet bowl.

"I won't tell your father about this, so it's between you and me that you got drunk. Got it?" She asked. I nodded, thankful to have had a mom like her.

I changed out of my dress and wiped off my smudged makeup. Mom placed sunglasses, Alka-Seltzer, and a cup of water on my nightstand before tucking me into bed.

**Saturday**

**Oct. 22nd**

The next morning I was faced with a  _huge_  hangover, and my mom's survival kit only helped a little. Thankfully, I didn't have to go to Betty's until six in the evening.

I rolled over and looked at my phone to see a text from Betty.

 **Betty:**  Sleepover still on?

 **Me:**  Yeah! :)

In fact, I was not actually smiling. I was suffering. Never again would I drink so much at a party.

I got out of my bed and ended up throwing up all of the Alka-Seltzer I drank. I slugged downstairs to find my dad in the living room, sprawled out on our ugly brown couch reading the newspaper.

"This is probably one of the best articles I have ever done," he commented, acknowledging my presence in the room. I made my way into the kitchen and made myself some toast and coffee.

"You alright, kid?" My dad asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Yeah. I just feel sick. Probably some virus," I shook my head, pushing my hair up a little with my hand.

He turned me to him and put the back of his hand on my forehead.

"Hm. You're a little warm, but I think you'll be alright later. You're going over to the Cooper's house, right?" He asked. I nodded, turning back to the coffee maker to watch it slowly filter my drink out.

My dad left the room, knowing that I wasn't in the mood to talk. I sat at the dinner table alone, eating my one piece of toast and my small cup of joe. I looked through my Snapchat to see people's stories of the party and only saw two with me in it. The first one was of me dancing, which I barely remember. The second one was of someone else, but in the back, I saw the jocks harassing me. Something I also barely remembered.

Now that I thought of it, I only remember drinking the punch, eating the snacks, forcing Jughead to dance with me, and Jughead carrying me home.

Then I saw one story of that gang that crashed the party, which also helped me remember that part of the night. I remembered Jughead briefly explaining who they were.

I had finally gotten a good idea for the newspaper. I thought about some blog or magazine article about "People of New York" where they pull aside random people and get a brief part of their life story. Instead of people of New York, it could be about the South Side Serpents. How they became a gang, what their backstory was, and so on and so forth.

I refrained from texting the idea to Jughead because he'd probably think I was nuts. Instead, I focused ongoing throughout the day without vomiting.

I ended up getting dressed and grabbing my camera to walk outside and take pictures to kill time until I had to go to Betty's house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ey what's wrong with a lil cliche "the punch is spiked o no!!!" trope


	6. Sleepover

**Saturday**

**Oct. 22nd**

By mid-afternoon, I felt much better than I had in the morning. During the day I had also taken some breathtaking pictures of the park and some abandoned homes. I hoped to Photoshop them tomorrow and put some of them in my portfolio. I liked putting my best works in there just in case one day I could get a job that included photography or something of that nature.

It was nearly six in the afternoon, so I dumped everything out of my backpack and stuffed my toothbrush, toothpaste, pajamas, camera, and my hairbrush into it.

I texted Betty for her address, which I immediately received. Turned out that she was only a block away, so I decided to walk there. My mom had already been called into work, and my dad was watching reruns of Modern Family. I gave him a brief goodbye before I went off on my adventures.

I strolled all the way to Betty's house and rang the doorbell.

Within seconds, her mom snapped open the door before giving me a cold smile.

"Why hello, Catherine," she sounded stiff.

"Hi, Mrs. Cooper," I smiled back at her, a little anxious to say the least.

She moved aside and I walked in. Feeling her eyes practically violate me, I attempted to distract myself by observing the home. I looked around to see the only thing that had changed since the last time I was here was the placement of the furniture.

"Betty is upstairs doing her homework," she reminded me. I turned and nodded, giving a quiet "Thank you."

I pranced upstairs and knocked on what I assumed was Betty's door. It had some girly sticker on it, and the light seeped through the crack of her door, illuminating the wood floor below.

"Come in!" She chimed.

I opened the door saying "Heyyyy!"

Betty looked relieved that I had walked in. "Thank  _god_. My mom wouldn't shut up about you coming over. I had to lock myself in here," she rolled her eyes.

I laughed a little, setting my bag down on the floor. I sat on her bed and looked around her room. "Your room is really girly," I commented, noting the posters and pink theme throughout the room. It felt like I was in some teen dream.

Betty gave a small smile, putting her papers away. "More like outdated," she scoffed.

I pulled out my phone and went onto Snapchat again to catch up on everyone's stories.

"So," Betty interrupted. I looked up at her, locking my phone. "How was the party last night?"

"I may not be new to Riverdale, but I am new to the teen Riverdale. Let me tell you, Betty. I did  _not_ know the punch was spiked," I confessed, making her laugh a little.

I remembered Jughead carrying me home and talking to me on the bench under the stars. I took in a deep breath, deciding not to tell Betty about it yet.

"Did you get a hangover?"

"Times two," I shook my head, feeling slightly ill at the sheer thought of it. "Never again am I drinking the punch unless I want to get fucked up."

Betty and I both laughed. Then Betty changed the topic awfully quick.

"So. You and Jughead," she looked at me.

I shrugged, acting clueless. "What about us?"

"You like him, don't you?" She smiled, tilting her head, looking brighter than before.

My eyes widened. I mean, I liked Jughead, but I never thought of us being more than friends. I didn't know if I  _like liked_  him.

"No!" I laughed nervously. "No, no. We're just friends. That's all. We were really close before and... well... I just want us to be like that again," I expressed, looking down at my lap. I clasped my own hands and looked at Betty again. "What about you? I heard that you and he had a fling?"

Betty sighed as her whole posture dropped. "Ronni told you, didn't she?"

I gave a cheesy smile, trying to cover for her.

Betty shrugged and then awkwardly looked around. "It's complicated," she sighed. "I think he's over me and I'm trying to get over him, but it's hard. He's so nice, you know?" Betty looked me in the eyes. I nodded, agreeing. "I'm almost over him. I thought you liked him so I guess I got a little jealous."

"You're fine, Betty. I don't have a crush on him," I assured her. "Even if I did, I would back off for you."

She gave a frail smile, trying to wear a mask. "Thank you, Catherine. If Jughead liked you or if you liked him then... you both have my blessing."

I laughed a little. "Thank you, Pope Francis."

"Girls! Dinner!" Her mom called us downstairs.

I got up from Betty's fluffy bed, which nearly grabbed me and threw me back into the cloud-like blanket. "What's for dinner?"

"Spaghetti, I think," she followed me out of her room. We both jogged downstairs and were welcomed by the sweet aroma of meatballs and sauce dancing around our noses.

I saw Mrs. Cooper and also Mr. Cooper sitting down at the preset table.

"Hey, Catherine! My, have you grown tall since the last time I saw you," Mr. Cooper looked at me with a smile.

"Hi, Mr. Cooper," I smiled at him, trying to be polite and open minded. I knew the purpose of me being here was to sabotage Mr. Cooper, but I couldn't give off any notion of doing such.

Betty and I sat across from each other, while her mom and dad also sat across each other. I dove into the spaghetti after sprinkling some Parmesan cheese onto the sauce.

"So, Catherine. How are your grades?" Alice immediately asked. Suddenly, I felt as if I was in an interrogation room.

"A's and B's," I told her. She nodded in approval.

"How's Claire? I heard she was in college," she glanced at Betty, assuming that's who she heard it from.

I put my fork down for a moment, unable to eat.

"She's fine," I assured. "She's getting her bachelors in nursing or something like that."

"That's nice. Nursing can take you a long way," her dad commented.

I looked at Betty who looked utterly embarrassed.

"How about your parents? Is your mom still digging into people's lives?" Her mom asked, a little aggressively.

"Yeah," I laughed it off, taking my fork again. "My dad's still reporting on whatever she brings home too."

"What does she bring home?" Mr. Cooper questioned.

I looked at Betty who quietly shook her head a little.

"He's uh... just reporting on fires. Saving cats from trees. Small stuff like that," I lied.

 _Why did I say fires? There are no fires in Riverdale_.

The room got quiet for a minute before her mom muttered: "I wish Polly was in college right now..."

I started to eat a little faster, hoping that I could get out of the room sooner.

After about ten minutes of small talk and brutal questioning, Betty and I escaped and retreated back to her room.

Once the door closed, Betty vented. "Ugh! They can be so nosey sometimes." She then turned to me. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. You did a good job at looking normal."

"Thanks. So do you think your parents hate me?" I asked, somewhat joking.

"Well, I think they don't like your parents too much. I don't think they have a problem with you, personally," Betty assured me, taking my shoulder. "Now onto important matters. I think my dad is hiding the files in his dresser. That's the  _only_  place I haven't checked yet because I got caught once. So here's the plan. I'll distract my parents by getting into an argument with them, while you sneak off into my parent's room and dig through the drawer. Got it?"

"Yeah. What if your dad or mom comes to their room? What's the emergency sound?" I asked.

"Um..." she paced around a little in thought. "Bee?"

"Why a bee?" I asked, trying to stifle a laugh.

"Who doesn't stop and look around when there's a bee?" She explained, making a point.

"True," I nodded, grabbing my camera. I took a deep breath and turned it on. "Alright. Let's do this."

Betty and I walked down the stairs, and I avoided her parents gaze and snuck around the corner.

"Where's Catherine?" Her mom asked, washing the dishes.

"Oh, she's doing her homework. I thought I would help clean up," Betty lied, stepping into the kitchen.

I made it into her parent's room and opened and closed drawers cautiously and quietly.

"I know that you wanted Polly to give up the baby, and I want you guys to know that I'm completely against it," Betty suddenly said.

I raised my eyebrows, listening to the family drama.

I stopped listening once I found the missing files. I turned on my camera and made sure the flash was on. I snapped a couple of shots of the files, trying my best to get every picture and file possible.

"BEE!" I heard Betty scream.

I made my move. I closed the drawer and booked it out of her parent's room. Betty saw me and dropped a plate, causing her parents to look at her with even more disappointment. I ran up the stairs and made it to her room without being detected.

I waited for Betty, which ended up being five minutes. She walked into the room and slammed the door behind her, locking it.

She looked at me, disheveled and tired. "Did you find anything?"

I was sitting on her bed. I nodded and patted the empty spot next to me. She sat down and we both looked through my camera at each file. We took our time to scan each one, just in case we somehow lost it.

"I can't believe it," Betty's voice cracked a little, standing up with her mouth covered. She moved her hand to her forehead, looking up as tears welled in her big blue eyes. "What is my dad hiding?"

I just shrugged, not knowing what I should do or say.

"I'm sorry, Betty."

Betty sniffled and walked to her nightstand to pull a tissue out of the tissue box. She dabbed her eyes before blowing her nose.

I walked over to her and brought her into a hug, in turn, she openly hugged me back. We both ended up sitting on her bed once again.

Once Betty calmed down, we laid back on her bed and stared at the ceiling in silence. At least until I broke it.

"Hey, Betty?" I asked.

"Yeah, Cath?" She replied.

"Who is Jughead's dad? Veronica said that's why you both had to break up."

Betty sighed, before saying "He's the leader of the Southside Serpents."

My eyes widened, and I sat up.

" _Oh, it's just some lousy gang that hangs out in the south part of town._ "

I couldn't believe it. And that was why his parents divorced!

"Why? What's wrong?" Betty looked at me.

"Nothing," I immediately replied. "It's just... I'm just surprised. That's all. The serpents crashed Reggie's party last night," I told her.

"That sucks," she said. "They seem to ruin everything."

I laid back down with her, looking at the ceiling again.

Boy. I had a lot to talk about with Jughead tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late post. I wanted a week off from posting stuff haha


	7. Confidential

**Saturday**

**Oct. 22nd**

Before I had gone to bed at Betty's, I put in a new SD card in my camera and put the important one in my backpack for safe keeping. I also didn't want to take any more pictures on the same SD card because Jughead might see them and critique them.

I fell asleep that night on Betty's floor, wrapped up in a sleeping bag with a comfy pillow. I woke up to some footsteps in the room. I saw Betty's dad was looking through my things, before looking at my camera. I panicked, not knowing whether to confront him or accept my defeat.

I grabbed Betty's blanket and slowly pulled it down towards me. Naturally, she pulled it back, but I yanked it. She woke up, panicked and alarmed to catch her dad caught in the act. I pretended to be asleep.

"Dad!" Betty hissed. "What are you doing?" I peeked my eyes opened to look at him. He had a crazy look in his eyes, one eye wider than the other. He was obviously determined to find something on me. Pointing at me, he scoffed, "She's just using you to get to us, Betty. She's doing the dirty work for her mother."

"Look. Get out and I won't say a word about any of this. She's been up here the whole time besides dinner," Betty covered for me.

Her dad was about to argue, but he bit his tongue. He set down my camera and walked out of her room. Betty looked over at me with a tired sigh.

"I know you're not asleep."

"Betty. That was scary," I admitted, opening my eyes to see her peeking over her bed.

"I know. I'm sorry," she apologized. "We need to know the truth though."

I nodded, curling up into a ball. I quickly fell back to sleep since I never had any sleep issues before. I didn't feel as safe as I wanted, but what was the worst her parents could do to me? Kill me?

**Sunday**

**Oct. 23rd**

I woke up the next morning to smell fresh eggs and bacon. Betty was already awake and on her laptop.

"Did I miss breakfast?" I groaned, sitting up. I rubbed my eyes and yawned before looking over to Betty.

"No. It's almost ready though."

Betty and I walked downstairs, and I felt her parents eyes on me, glaring me down.

"Morning!" I forced a smile.

"Good morning, Catherine," her mom said, sounding upset.

Who was I kidding? She was always upset.

I sat down across from Betty, the same as yesterday. I wasted no time eating my food. After quietly eating for five minutes her father managed to say something. It was completely out of the blue.

"You know, Catherine. I used to have a dog. Before Betty was born, of course. He would just smell anything he could get his little nose on," he laughed. "Whether it be garbage, grass, or even the road, he'd smell it."

"How cute," I smiled, my mouth full.

"Yeah. Then one day he and I were in the forest, and he stuck his nose in a bear trap. Ever since that day, he stopped smelling things," her dad finished his story.

My eyes were wide, and my heart raced.

"P-poor dog," I stammered, getting anxious.

Her dad chuckled a little.

"Yeah. Dumb dog learned to never stick his nose where it shouldn't be," her mom also commented, shaking her head.

I gave Betty a "help me" look, but she gave a confused shrug, not understanding what was happening. Both of us nearly swallowed our plates by eating so fast.

Betty stood up, causing me follow her lead.

"Well, Catherine better get ready to leave. She needs to do some chores at home," Betty lied.

"So soon?" Her mom acted upset.

"Yeah," I nodded, walking towards the stairs. "I hope I can come back soon, Mrs. Cooper! The food was A plus."

She gave a cold smile, but I turned to the stairs and booked it. I quickly brushed my teeth and combed my hair. I changed into the clothes I wore from yesterday and gathered my things.

"Thanks for coming over," Betty said, walking me out. "It's nice not being alone and trapped with my parents."

"I wouldn't mind coming back, under better circumstances," I told her with a small smile.

I walked out of her nightmarish home into the free world. I took a deep breath and turned around.

"See you on Monday, Betty," I waved, backing away.

"Bye!" She waved, before quickly closing the door. I checked my phone to see it was 11:00 A.M.

I walked home, again, feeling thankful for having parents like my mom and dad. I could never imagine growing up with the Coopers. I don't know how Betty survives sometimes.

I made it home and dropped my bags at the bottom of the stairs. I peeked into the living room to find my mom and dad on the couch, with my dad asleep and my mom glued to a book she was reading. She looked up and noticed me, and I went into the kitchen.

"How was the sleepover?" My mom asked from the living room.

"A living nightmare," I hollered back. "But Betty's a good friend."

I heard my mom laugh a little, before making her way into the kitchen too. I grabbed a can of soda and a bag of pistachios. "How did her parents treat you?"

I held up my hand, tilting it side to side. "Did you do anything to... y'know... piss them off?" I finally asked.

She sighed, crossing her arms as she stared at the ceiling in thought. "Well... there  _was_  this case I had to look into. It was small, and they had a fight and it got out of control. I had to look into it, unfortunately. I mean, I never got anything out of it. Why? Did they talk about me?"

"They expected me to be like you," I explained, cracking open the shell, popping the pistachio into my mouth. "They warned me that I shouldn't stick my nose in places where it shouldn't be."

My mom laughed, before saying "No, no. That's your father, the snoop. Technically it's our job to pry into other people's lives. It's what pays the bills though, and there's no shame in doing it."

I smiled a little and started to go upstairs with my food and drink. I took a quick shower and got ready to go see Jughead. In the shower, I thought about what Betty said about liking Jughead. I needed to understand him first before I knew what my heart wanted.

Knowing that, I thought I would meet him at his house. I put on some light makeup; a pink lip and mascara. I dressed in my favorite gray baggy sweater and wore black jeans. I packed my laptop and the SD card before I left the house.

I wandered over to where I had remembered his house to be. I wasn't positive if he still lived there, but it was worth a shot. His front yard was full of weeds and the grass was overgrown. I assumed someone was home since the outside light was on, oddly during daytime at that.

I walked up to his door and gave it a good knock. Within a few seconds, his door opened up to his dad, F.P. He looked disheveled squinting from the sun hitting his face. He wore a plaid shirt with torn jeans with bleach stains in them, his belt loose, causing his jeans to droop on his waist.

He straightened his posture and leaned in the doorway, placing an arm on the threshold.

"Now who might you be walking in this neck of the woods?" He grinned.

My eyes widened a little as I clutched my laptop bag.

"Uh, Catherine? Is Jughead home?" I squeaked, absolutely terrified.

His dad grinned at me, before saying "He's on his way, actually. He'll be here in five minutes. Why don't you come inside?" He offered.

"That's fine. I just-"

"You're denying my offer?" He quickly turned serious. I suddenly feared for my life.

"N-no-"

"Then come on in," he stepped aside.

I had no other choice but to walk into his messy home. Plates and beer bottles were everywhere, and the TV was playing football. On the coffee table, there was one plate with half eaten pizza, which looked as if it was slowly molding.

"Take a seat on the couch. I'll call him for ya," he patted the arm of the couch.

I sat down quietly and watched football. I was ready to scream or kick if he dared to touch me.

I looked over to see him on the phone.

"Hey! My boy. One of your friends came over. She needs to see you- hey!" He hollered over to me.

I flinched and looked at him.

"What's your name again?" He asked.

"Catherine Bell," I told him, my voice shaking.

"Catherine?... Alright then. See you in a little while," he smiled, hanging up the phone.

His dad walked over and sat next to me, taking up half of the couch. I slowly moved to the corner of the couch, keeping close to myself.

"So, Catherine. Your name sounds familiar," he turned to me. "You also look familiar. Who are you?"

I cleared my throat and leaned back a little, trying to not look as scared as I was.

"I used to live here until Jughead turned eight," I explained in a way that he would at least understand.

"Eight?! Oh man. I think I remember you now," he laughed, shaking his head. "You and Jughead were tight! He was real sore about you leavin' Riverdale."

I gave a gentle laugh, looking down at my lap. "It wasn't easy leaving, believe me."

"Oh, I know. Or else you wouldn't be back," he joked.

I smiled a little, trying to stay calm.

"Oh! You know what? Follow me," he got up, hopping over the couch. I left my bag and followed him, like the idiot I was.

We walked into a much cleaner room, which seemed to look like Jughead's room. The theme of the room was blue. His covers on his bed were blue, his curtains were blue, even his walls were a light blue. He had some knickknacks on his shelves along with some pictures. His closet was barely filled with any clothes. Most of the clothes he did have were dark.

His dad walked over to a shelf with several pictures on it. He took a frame off and handed it to me.

"I don't know when this was," he told me, as I took it. I stared at the picture closely, sitting on the end of his bed. It was a picture of my birthday, and Jughead and I had cake all over our faces. We were only about six at the time. Well, I knew I was six since it was my birthday.

"Wow..." I nodded, smiling a little. "That was my birthday. Are there any other pictures?" I asked.

His dad took the one I was holding and replaced it with another. Jug and I were doing cheesy smiles with each other, and Jellybean was trying to reach high enough to get into the frame.

"Dad."

F.P. and I looked up to see Jughead standing in the doorway. He stared down his dad, seemingly pissed off.

"It's okay, Jug. We were just looking at old pictures of you and me," I smiled, turning the frame towards him. His expression didn't seem to change.

"Come on, Catherine. We're going to Pop's," he nodded me towards the exit.

I set the picture frame down on the bed and left, before saying "Bye, Mr. Jones!"

"It's F.P.," he called after me, still trying to be friendly.

"It's nothing," Jughead whisper shouted at his dad. I could still hear what they were saying as I grabbed my bag.

"We were just chattin' about the past, Jug," F.P. defended himself.

"That was a cheap shot at getting me to come back home, Dad. Next time, don't invite my friends in here," Jughead snapped back, before storming down the hall.

Again, he nodded towards the exit. I left, and he followed.

"Come on. Let's get out of here."

We were walking for a while, but I decided not to say anything until Jughead looked visibly calm. Within about five minutes, he was.

He let out a deep sigh before saying "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"Juggy, it's fine," I assured him, patting his shoulder. "It's not a big deal-"

"What did he say to you?" He defensively asked.

"Nothing!" I laughed. "He just asked me who I was and brought me to your room."

Thinking back to his room, it did seem awfully clean for a teenage boys room on a Sunday. His bed was perfectly made, the floor was clean enough to walk through, and his closet looked bare.

Then I thought about what he said.

" _That was a cheap shot at trying to get me_ ** _back_** _home dad_ "

It got me thinking.

_Back? Hadn't he been home since?_

Maybe I was just overthinking all of this. The only thing I knew was that his dad was the leader of the Southside Serpents. I was going to confront him on that, soon.

Once Jug and I made it to Pop's, I ended up sitting beside him. I pulled out my laptop and put in my SD card.

"So this is...?"

"The pictures of the files in Betty's dad's drawer," I told Jughead. "Can you believe that he started digging through my stuff? Talk about rude."

Jughead scoffed, smiling a little. I looked over to him.

"What's funny?" I asked.

"Didn't you  _just_  say that you went through his personal drawer?" He asked me, catching my hypocrisy.

I stayed silent for a brief moment, remembering what I just said and connecting two and two.

"Shut up," I told him, returning to my sleuthing.

I opened the file to see that absolutely nothing was in it. My eyes widened and my heart started to pound.

"W-wha...?" I spoke, at a loss for words.

"Am I missing something?" He asked, looking at my screen.

I shook my head, eyes wide. "Someone switched my SD cards," I told him. "I specifically took the SD card out of my camera and put it in my backpack. Then I put the new one in my camera. Someone must've switched them back and stole the actual one," I explained, upset. I turned to Jughead, taking his shoulder. "You have to believe me when I say he had the files. I'm not crazy!"

"I believe you! Now, do you know who took the card?" He asked, trying to get me to think rationally.

I bit my lower lip and shook my head a little. "Her dad? I mean, he  _did_  go through my things," I explained.

"Her mom could've snuck into the room after her dad left to finish the job," Jughead suggested.

I slammed my head on the table repeatedly, upset I lost that one important piece of evidence.

"Hey, hey, hey. It's not the end of the world, alright? We'll ask Betty about it tomorrow," he assured, closing my laptop.

I lifted my head up, seeing him push my laptop away from me.

I remembered his dad and felt as though this was the perfect time to let him know.

I sighed, saying "Jughead. I need to tell you something."

"Uh, oh," he moved back a little.

"What?" I asked, getting scared.

"Whenever you don't say Juggy, I know it's serious," he told me.

I couldn't help but smile a little. I also couldn't help but avoid his eyes.

"Jug. I..." I took a deep breath. "I know about your dad."

His joking nature immediately went away, and the atmosphere changed.

"How?" He asked, genuinely curious. I kept silent, not wanting to rat out Betty. "Because I was hoping to keep that away from you."

"Why, Jug? I would've understood," I softly said, trying to redeem myself.

"How would you understand? Hell, I don't even understand," he shook his head, slamming his fist on the table.

"Listen to me," I said. He avoided my gaze, looking down. "Jug. Listen to me."

I took his cheek and made him look at me. I gave him hopeful smile, before saying "I'm here for you, okay? Maybe I don't understand. But I sure as hell won't look at you any differently than I did before. You hear me? You're not your dad."

He nodded, and I forced him into a hug. I patted his back, holding him closer. Oddly enough, I really enjoyed his hugs. Unfortunately, I couldn't spend the whole day hugging him.

I pulled back first, and we separated.

I cleared my throat and smiled before saying

"I guess now isn't a good time to tell you my idea for an article."


	8. Venom

**Sunday**

**Oct. 23rd**

Jughead stared at me with the expression of pure confusion and concern.

"I'm sorry. Did we not just talk about how bad the Southside Serpents are?" He reminded me, staring me down.

"I know! I know. I just thought it would be interesting. I mean, I have even more reason to do it since you're-"

"No. Don't use me as a reason for you to get yourself killed," he shook his head.

I let out a deep breath, beginning to get frustrated.

"I think it's an interesting story. The town doesn't really  _know_  them, right? No offense, but your dad has a good backstory. I won't use him, of course. I'm just saying... what about the others? They're all just leather jackets. What is in those leather jackets that make them who they are?" I tried to persuade him.

Jughead crossed his arms and sat forward.

"I'm sorry," he shook his head. "I'm not in."

I sighed, pulling my laptop towards me. I put it in my bag and scooted out of the booth.

"I guess I'll just do it alone," I vaguely said, with a heavenly sigh. "See you on Monday, Juggy."

I turned away from him and started to walk until I felt a hand on my shoulder forcing me to turn on my heel.

Not surprisingly, it was Jug. He let go of me and just stood there, thinking. His hand lingered on my shoulder before he took it back looking away. I noticed as his brows furrowed as the gears turned in his mind. Then, looking at me, he said: "I've forgotten how stubborn you were."

"But...?" I lead him on, smiling a little.

He gave in, rolling his eyes. "I'll get you started with some names. Some of the  _nicer_  serpents."

I walked back to the booth where we sat, and I pulled out my laptop once again. Jughead typed down some names he remembered and passed the laptop back to me. I tried looking up some of them, only to find 3/5 of the serpents Jug listed.

"I think five was overkill anyways," he assured.

"Maybe," I sighed, before closing my laptop. "I hope all of them are willing to tell me their life story..."

Jughead remained silent, looking solemn. I looked over at him and patted his shoulder.

"I'll be fine. I'd be better if you were with me, though," I tried to push.

Jughead shrugged, giving in once again. "I already gave you their names. I'm already in deep, so I might as well."

I was so relieved to have him agree to help me. Quite honestly, I was a little scared about going alone. A teenage girl in some unknown place with criminalistic men? That was just asking for trouble. "Thank you, Juggy. Really," I sincerely said.

He just nodded, and I scooted out of the booth again. "You know what? It's Sunday. How about we try and find some right now and interview them."

"Do we even have questions?" He asked, beginning to scoot.

"I have some in mind," I assured, leading the way.

* * *

 

Jughead and I walked all the way to the abandoned Twilight Drive-In to see a group of them.

"Can you pick out any of the ones we confirmed on?" I asked him, as we cautiously watched them.

They were all huddled around their bikes, laughing and drinking their beer.

Jughead pointed at one of them. He was an older man with a rounded gray beard and some missing teeth.

"That's Gordon. I kinda know him. He's nice for a guy in a gang. You stay here and I'll get him," Jughead took my shoulder, looking me in the eyes.

I stayed my place, feet planted, watching as Jughead walked over to them. As he talked to Gordon, I pulled out my phone and began voice recording so I wouldn't forget what he would say.

Jughead walked back with the older man, seemingly in his mid-fifties. He smiled at me, and I returned the gesture.

"Why hello, pretty lady. I heard you had some questions for me," he said. Jughead took my side and crossed his arms, giving me the "Go ahead," look.

I cleared my throat.

"Gordon. What's your life story?" I asked, staring at him.

He looked at my hands and asked: "Aren't you gonna write it down or somethin'?" His tongue barely touching the roof of his mouth at "thin'." 

I shook my head, before tapping my temple. "I have a good memory."

Gordon let out a deep breath. "Come on, let's have a seat."

He guided us over to a bench that used to be a part of the drive-in. He spilled everything, about how his wife died of cancer and he got married six times, and how all of his kids hate him but one, which was his daughter. He became a serpent because he had nothing left, and his friends helped him out of depression.

The conversation took thirty minutes, and Jughead and I were engulfed in what he was saying. Once Gordon finished, I was nearly speechless.

"Well, Gordon. I'm glad this makes you happy," I told him, overwhelmed by the amount of information he gave.

He nodded, seeming a little embarrassed that he spilled his whole life on two teenagers.

"Thanks, Gord," Jughead patted his shoulder. "Can you get me, Alex?"

Gordon nodded, before walking away. I looked at Jughead and said, "That was really good."

Jughead smiled and nodded a little. "Yeah. I'm actually liking this."

We then interviewed the other two, Alex and Georgie.

I had gotten all of the stories on audio and showed Jughead.

"Sweet! I'll type it up on Wednesday," Jughead promised.

"I'll send you the audio files later, then," I also promised.

Suddenly, I felt as though I was being watched. I turned to the group and scanned the area. That was when I locked eyes with one of the serpents. He looked a little older than me, probably either seventeen or eighteen. He sat on his motorcycle, leaned forward as he eyed me down. His brown eyes were like a void I could not escape.

He gave me a small nod with a grin. I didn't know how to react, so I just gave a nod back.

"You alright?" Jug asked me, taking my shoulder. I jumped a little, returning my focus back to Jughead.

"Yeah. I'm fine," I assured, walking away quickly.

Jughead was kind enough to walk me home. I did my chores and actually did my homework for tomorrow. I sent Jughead the audio files, as I had promised.

Later on, at night, I got to bed early. By early, I mean eleven at night.

I was on my phone and saw a picture on Instagram. Cheryl posted an image for the Halloween dance.

** HALLOWEEN DANCE! **

_October 31st_

_Be there or be dead!_

I forgot that Halloween was so close. After what happened yesterday, I am  _not_  going to another party again.

I locked my phone and plugged it into my charger before rolling over. After a few seconds of silence, I got a text. I rolled back over, groaning.

I squinted as the light of the phone blinded me. Once my eyes adjusted, I saw that Veronica had texted me. She made a group chat with me and Betty.

I unlocked my phone to talk.

 **Ronni:**  All of us are going to the Halloween dance, so what should our planned costume be?

 **Betty:**  Three Musketeers?

 **Ronni:**  No!!! It can't be ACTUAL costumes. We have to look sexy ;)

 **Me:**  So... Cops?

 **Ronni:**  See? Catherine gets it.

 **Betty:**  Let's do cops bc I can leave the house with that.

 **Me:**  Cool. Gn.

I locked my phone and put it back on my table.

**Monday**

**Oct. 24th**

The next day was the same as any other day. I went to school, learned, and Jughead walked me home. My parents weren't home, so I had to make myself dinner.

As I was microwaving hot pockets, there was a knock at the door. I left my hot pockets, opening the door to find a serpent at my door. He was the one that stared me down yesterday.

"Can I help you?" I asked, nervous that he would break down my door and hold me hostage.

"More like, can  _I_  help  _you_?" He said to me, his voice as smooth as caramel.

He had brown rugged hair, brown eyes, and a damning smile. He almost seemed  _too_  perfect. He was horribly attractive, but I kept my guard.

"I heard you were interviewing Serpents. I thought I could help," he offered, his voice cool and calm. I couldn't help but notice his eyes glancing at me up and down, scanning me.

My microwave beeped in the background, but I paid no mind.

"Okay," I agreed. "Wait out here for like, one minute. I need to... do stuff."

He nodded, still grinning. I closed the door on him and started silently panicking. I took my hot pockets out to cool and started to record on my phone. I stuffed my phone in my pocket and then finally opened the door.

"My parents will kill me if they see me with you, so let's go to the park," I pointed across the street.

"Whatever you want, doll," he shrugged, moving to the side so I could leave the house.

We walked side by side to the park and sat on a bench far from my house. He stretched his arms up and put one around me, getting comfy.

"Ask away," he challenged.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking forever to update. I honestly just forgot lol oops


	9. Bad boy

**Monday**

**Oct. 24th**

I sat beside him on the bench, anxiously tapping my feet and twisting my ring. I had a terrible urge to bite my nails, but I didn't want to come off as unsanitary.

I took a hard swallow, trying to connect the words carefully in my head before I said them.

"Name?" Was all that came out, instead of "What is your name?"

"Derek J." He told me, observing my every move.

"Like the letter J, or jay as in Mockingjay," I questioned.

"The letter," he told me. I nodded, taking a deep breath. He took my shoulder and I somehow managed to look into his eyes. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yeah," I quickly nodded, trying to shake whatever it was that I was feeling off. "This isn't about me. It's about you," I smiled. He returned the smile, killing me inside because he seemed absolutely perfect to me.

"So, Derek. How did you become a serpent?" I asked.

He looked away, up at the mildly cloudy sky to think of his reply.

"My mom wasn't a good mom. She uh, left me with my abusive step-dad. I never met my real father either, so I had a tough time learning things. Then my stepdad just... died," he said, not sounding too phased about his death, which was understandable.

"I'm sorry to hear that," I told him, putting my hand on his shoulder for support. I also did it to feel his bicep.

He put his hand on mine, causing me to panic. "It's not a big deal. I joined the serpents because it feels like they're my only family. They're the only ones who understand," he explained.

I nodded, saying "Wow. That's going to be a good story for the school paper," I smiled a little.

He took my hand off of his leather jacket and placed it on his jeans. He rubbed my palm and held it with uppermost caution. It felt nice, so I didn't protest. We then locked eyes.

"What school?" He asked me.

"The only school? Riverdale High."

He went from a calm expression to smolder. He leaned closer to me, coming face to face with me. I could smell his cologne right then. Usually, I hate cologne, but he had the perfect amount on. I would smell it all day if I could.

He then leaned to my ear before whispering "Do you think you can change my name to something else? On the paper?"

I nodded quickly, not understanding why he felt the need to whisper that since no one else was around. I was confused about everything. About his actions, my emotions, and why I even agreed to follow a gang member outside alone.

He pulled away from my ear and stood up. "See you around." He winked at me and walked away, leaving me speechless. I stopped the recording on my phone and walked back inside to eat my hot pocket.

As I ate that hot pocket, now cooled off, I texted Jughead.

 **Me:**  So... Uh... A serpent knocked on my door

He immediately replied.

 **Juggy:**  Are you okay???

 **Me:**  Yeah. He just wanted to be interviewed.

 **Juggy:**  Did you get a name?

 **Me:**  Jonathan. That's what he wants to go by at least. I'm sending you the audio recording now.

-  ** _Audio Recording Sent_** -

 **Juggy:**  Are u sure ur alright?

 **Me:** :) don't worry about it! If you need help on the paper don't be afraid to call me down to Pops or something.

 **Juggy:**  ... ok

 **Juggy:** Actually, do you mind coming to Pops anyways? I want to show u some of my drafts

 **Me:**  I'll be there in ten

I walked out of my house and got to my car, which had a paper on the windshield. I took it out and unraveled it to find a note.

_Hey,_

_I forgot to leave you my number. Text me_.

_\- Derek J_ _._

He left me his number, and I put it into my contacts.

I got into my car and drove to Pops. I walked in to be greeted by Pop himself.

"Nighthawk is over there," he pointed over to Jughead, hunched over his laptop.

"Thanks," I smiled. I walked over to Jug who then looked up to see me.

"Hey, Jingles," he scooted over, making room for me. I sat next to him, looking at his laptop. "I listened to the audio recording."

"And?" I questioned, looking back at him.

"You forgot to ask his age while you were drooling over him," Jughead told me, giving me a glare.

I smiled a little, pulling out my phone. I pulled up his contact and texted him.

 **Me:**  Hey. I never cau-

"Are you texting him?!" Jughead exclaimed, looking over my shoulder.

"He left his number," I shrugged. I finished my text.

 **Me:**  Hey. I never caught ur age - Catherine

"You're not suspicious as to why his step-dad "just died"?" He asked, gesturing the air quotations

"People die, Jughead. I know that more than anybody," I told him, a little more solemn.

My phone vibrated, and Jughead looked over my shoulder.

 **Him:**  17 ;)

"A winky face?" Jughead commented, thinking he was absolutely pathetic.

"Oh, leave him alone, Juggy," I nudged his shoulder. "He's a nice guy."

"He's a serpent," Jughead sniped.

"You have your opinion and I'll have mine, and let's agree to disagree. Now can we work on the paper?" I asked him, raising my brows.

I didn't want to argue with Jughead because he absolutely  _hates_  being wrong.

Jughead exhaled through his nose before turning his computer towards me.

As I was reading the newspaper, I edited some small things. Once I finished reading all of them, Jughead showed me his novel. I noticed he wrote about me.

"That's all I-" he hurriedly grabbed his laptop.

"Wait woah-woah," I grinned, clutching the laptop.

"Oh god," he covered his face in embarrassment.

I read the text closely.

"It was a regular day at Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe, or so I had thought.

My day was like any other day. I went to school, then I went to Pop's and worked on my novel. Archie stopped by and had asked Betty to come over. It was average. 

Betty came, of course. However, that wasn't the only person who came.

I saw  _her_  again."

Jughead closed his laptop, pulling it close to him.

I looked at him, to see he was shaking a little with his eyes wide with his cheeks and nose growing apple red.

I had never seen Jughead so scared or embarrassed in my entire life, so I decided to not push it.

"Alright, alright. You win," I gave in. "That's going to be a bestseller one day, Jug," I gave a hard wink, jokingly.

"ThAnks," he said, his voice cracking. He quickly cleared his throat, returning to his calm state.

"Are you going to the Halloween dance?" I asked him, changing the subject.

"Maybe," he admitted, how calmer than a mere few moments ago. "Are you?"

"Yeah. The girls and I are going as cops. A little lame but Veronica insisted," I sighed, resting my chin on my supporting hand.

"I don't know what I would go as," he thought to himself.

"Dracula?" I proposed.

He gave me a look. "Really? Is it because I don't talk to people that much?"

I shrugged, grinning a little.

"Fine," he gave in. "Only because I can't think of anything else."

"Mhm... okay," I laughed. I scooted out of the booth, saying, "I'll see you there, then."

Jughead gave me a nod and a small smile.

In that moment, someone took my shoulder from behind. It was Betty, with bloodshot eyes and her skin tinted red from crying.

"I need to talk to you guys," Betty sadly spoke to us, her voice raspy.

I sat next to Jughead once again, giving him a concerned look. He looked at me the same way. Once Betty sat across from us, she slapped down something. Once she removed her hand, the missing SD card appeared.

" _You_  took the SD card?!" Jughead angrily accused.

"I know!" She nodded regretfully. "I just- I don't know. I hate my dad for what he's done but he's still my dad. I don't want to see him go away." Her words were soft and raspy as if this had been haunting her for the past few days.

"He still committed a crime, Betty!" Jughead whisper-yelled.

She covered her mouth, growing more upset. I put my hand on Jughead's shoulder before leaning forward.

"Betty. I know you love your dad. Who doesn't love their own dad? But you'd be committing a crime if you withheld evidence, and that is technically evidence," I pointed at the SD card.

She nodded in agreement, wiping the tears from her burning red cheeks.

"I'll give you some power. We can bring it in whatever day you want this week, but you have to choose before the dance," I allowed, taking the SD card. "I'll put this on my computer for safety measures and hand it back to you tomorrow, okay?"

She nodded once more, before suddenly getting up and jogging away. I would've chased after her, but alone time is something she seems to direly need.

"You handled that pretty well," Jughead complimented me, still slightly bummed at how upset Betty was.

I sighed, looking at the SD card. "Yeah. I can only imagine how she's feeling right now," I shook my head. "I'm gonna go home and make sure this is safe. See you tomorrow," I told him, a bit more solemn than the last farewell.

I left Pop's and drove back home to be greeted by my mom. I immediately went upstairs and put the SD card in my computer, sorting the pictures into a file that says "EVIDENCE" that I had created. Not obvious at all.

I sorted out my actual photography since it was pointless to have for evidence. I sat at my computer, wondering what in the world I was getting myself into.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sososO sorry for the late upload. Again, I just forgot lol.


	10. Abandoned

**WEEK OF HALLOWEEN**

**Oct. 30th**

 

Over the course of the week, I waited for Betty to come forward. Finally, the night before the dance, she knocked on my door. She had a full backpack along with another bag to accompany her.

"I did it," she told me, softly and painfully.

I waved her inside with a small nod.

"Tell me what went down," I demanded, closing the front door.

She shuffled over to my couch and sat down on it, before eventually laying down. I stood in the kitchen making tea for the two of us.

"So, I went to Sheriff Keller and told him everything, and gave him the SD card that you gave me on Tuesday or Wednesday. I got interviewed and then I went home. The next thing I knew..." Betty choked up a little. "He was arrested. My mom looked so hurt and I knew I had to leave."

I let the kettle boil and returned to the living room area.

"You did the right thing," I honestly told her. "I'll ask my parents if you can stay, but I'm sure they'll say yes."

She gave me a weak smile before saying "Thanks."

I pulled out my phone and called my mom, knowing she would agree with me.

"Hi, Honey. I'm a bit busy," she told me.

"Sorry. I'll be quick," I apologized. "Can Betty stay over for a few nights? Her house is not in the best shape."

Without skipping a beat, my mom said: "Of course!" In a gleeful tone. "How about you two order pizza for the night, yeah? Dad will be home soon if he's not working overtime. Gotta go."

In an instant, she hung up.

"She said yes, and we can have pizza. What do you like?"

"Pepperoni," she gave me a cheesy smile. I grinned and nodded, dialing the pizza number.

As the phone rang, I still talked to her. "Here's what's gonna happen. We're gonna have pizza tonight. Tomorrow we'll be police on duty, have fun, dance till we're dead, and crash back here. Sound like a plan?"

Betty nodded, and the pizza guy answered the call. I ordered our pizza and he came within ten minutes. I gave him a nice tip and then watched some shows with Betty for a while. Instead of "I have to stay at your house because of my shitty parents" it turned into "Sleepover!" within the hour. The two of us ate our pizza, watched some old movies, and painted our own nails to truly get the typical "girly sleepover" experience.

Dad came home and met Betty, which wasn't all that exciting. He just accepted her staying here without any questions asked. We all kept watching TV until Betty and I grew tired and went to sleep for our big day tomorrow.

**HALLOWEEN**

**Oct. 31st**

 

Betty and I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing, and we both groaned at it in response. I threw my hand around my night table, knocking things over until I found it. I squinted at the bright screen to find Veronica calling us.

"It's Ronni," I told Betty, hitting the answer button and the speaker button. "Hey. You're on speaker," I murmured tiredly, rolling over to Betty.

"Ooooh!" she smiled over the line. "Whom would I be speaking to besides you?"

"Betty," she said a little louder so that the mic would pick it up.

"Betty?! You guys had a sleepover without me?"Veronica gasped, sounding hurt.

"It's a little more complicated than that," I told her, glancing over to Betty. She seemed a little embarrassed, shying away a little. "We'll tell you some other time. Are we still on for shopping?"

Veronica easily changed the subject with me. "Of course! All of us, downtown near the Halloween store, two o'clock. Be there."

She hung up, but I was still waking up so I didn't have much of a reaction.

"Thanks for covering up for me. I'd rather tell it all to her one on one if you don't mind," Betty told me, grateful. She got up from the air mattress I blew up for her last night.

Betty and I quickly ate breakfast and got ready by 1:50 P.M. and made it downtown by 2 as promised.

All of us stood in the Halloween store staring at Veronica, who held up two different types of police outfits for us. The first outfit she held up was a police jacket with blue police pants, a badge accompanying it.

"Now  _this_  one is boring."

Then, she lifted up the second one. The second one had blue booty shorts, a cap, cuffs, and a purposeful V-neck. "We're going with this."

"Thank god I'm not going back home tonight," Betty looked at me with a thankful smile, raising her brows a little. I smiled back, turning to the outfits.

"Let's get them."

Veronica was generous enough to buy them for us, knowing that we weren't exactly rich.

We stopped at my house and fixed our makeup and put on our outfits. Each of us put on our sharpest eyeliner and the reddest lipstick I owned. I won't lie, I felt pretty badass in the outfit. It was a little tight, but it really made me feel like a woman. All of us looked at each other, nodding in approval.

All of us had to sneak out of my house since my dad was sleeping on the couch. He'd kill me if I ever left the house in this "costume."

Instead of using my car, we found it best if we walked and called an uber back. The sun was setting, and little kids ran around the roads. There was another reason we decided against driving.

Finally, the party started and we had made it. Everyone was jamming out to the monster mash, doing wacky and silly dance moves that went along with their costumes. There were fake paper bats hanging from the ceiling along with black and orange ribbons draped on the walls. The walls were covered in fake blood and Josie was on the stage, still in her cat outfit. I was kinda glad that we didn't go as cats ourselves.

As I looked at people's costumes from afar, someone grabbed my shoulder, and I looked to see it was Jughead.

"Hey!" He said over the loud music.

"Hey!" I replied, smiling.

"So, uh... I did the newspaper article! It's printing right now!" He told me, his eyes wandering over my outfit.

"Thanks!"

I took the spare moment to observe his costume. All he did was throw on a cape, fake vampire teeth, and drew blood down his chin.

"Nice costume!" I commented, laughing a little.

He looked down at himself and smiled a little. "What a strange pair we make!"

I agreed. I then saw across the room, Derek. He was in the doorway that connected to the hallway. We made eye contact and I saw a smile cross his face. He turned around, walking over to the doors leading to the hallway.

"I'll be right back. I have something to take care of," I took Jug's shoulder, before letting it go. Jughead helplessly stared at me, as if I cut him off. I then noticed he observed Derek walking away. I hurried, knowing he would try to stop me.

Derek watched me pace over to him from the doorway. I tightly grabbed his shoulder and brought him out to the end of the dark hall.

"What are you going to do, Officer? Arrest me?" He smirked, staring down at me.

"What are you doing here?!" I asked, eyes wide with panic.

"I go here?" He said as if it was obvious.

I raised my brows, surprised. "Oh."

He let out a short deep laugh before getting closer to me, backing me into the wall. "I've been watching you lately."

"A-and," I gripped the wall.

"Don't act so surprised," he grew closer. He went to my ear, sending chills up my spine. He whispered, "It's jailbreak, officer."

I felt his warm breath on my neck, waiting for his next move. He began nibbling at my neck, and I was frozen.

_Was this really happening? What am I doing? Why does he have such an interest in me?_

I ended up embracing his hickey on my neck. He then moved up to my face and cupped my cheeks in his hands before beginning to kiss me over and over and over again. Like a snake, he used a bit of tongue. I was a complete virgin to kissing until Derek.

I then thought it was my turn to use a kinky witty line.

"You're fined, Derek," I uttered.

He kissed my cheek, and in between each kiss he said: "What's-the price-officer?"

I took his head gently and stared him down before saying: "Be mine."

His brown eyes softened, seeming to smile a little. "Of course."

 

* * *

 

"I'll be right back. I have something to take care of," Catherine told me, looking me in the eyes. I was glad the small talk was over, but I had one last thing I wanted to say.

I wanted to tell her that she looked amazing and I wanted to dance with her not only tonight, but for the days to come. I looked past her to see  _him_  again. That sewer rat that keeps lurking around Catherine, trying to drag her into the serpents.

I watched as she took his arm and forced him into the hall until they disappeared in the dark.

"Dude!"

I flinched and turned to see Archie, dressed as Elvis. He had the cheesy wig and even the bling. I'd told him before how I felt about Catherine, which was a regrettable mistake since he wouldn't let it go.

"Did you ask her yet?" Archie asked with a toothy grin.

I sighed, before saying "No," in a dull tone. "She had to go somewhere, but I'll tell her when she comes back."

"Just do it now!" Archie egged on. "If you say it's important, she'll listen to you!"

Archie may have had no idea what he was saying to me, but I decided to go ask her out.

I walked all the away across the gym, dodging people flailing their arms about and calling that a dance.

I turned the corner to see two figures close to each other. My heart sank, and my stomach clenched.

_Am I too late?_

I saw Catherine and Derek making out in the hall, pressing up against each other in a fit of passion and lust.

I flared my nostrils and stormed back across the room. I passed Archie on the way out of the door. "How'd it go?" He asked, sounding uncertain by looking at my body language.

"She has someone else on her mind," I snapped, before pushing the doors open in a fit of rage. I began to walk "home", wherever it would be tonight.

* * *

 

I gently turned my head, getting him to stop. "I have to go back to the party. We'll continue this another day, inmate."

"Okay. Maybe next time we won't use as much law and order lingo," he joked around, letting me go.

"Hey, you're the one who started it," I reminded him.

I confidently walked back out to the party and found Betty and Veronica, who looked at me with a smirk.

"Spill it. Who did you kiss?" Veronica asked.

"Wha- I-... How?" I stammered, shocked.

"You forgot you were wearing red lipstick, didn't you?" Betty asked, gesturing to her own.

My eyes widened, and I quickly covered my mouth. "Bathroom?"

They both guided me to the school bathroom, and I had to clean my lips off with soap, water, and paper towels.

"Tell us!" Betty begged. "We won't tell a soul!"

"I'm not worried about that," I said, maneuvering around my mouth to get the smudges off my chin. "You guys are gonna judge me and tell me I shouldn't."

"Archie?" Veronica and Betty both questioned simultaneously with concern in their voice.

"What?! No! Archie's all yours," I told them. "You guys don't know him."

"C'mon, Catherine! Best friends don't judge," Betty looked at Veronica, who eagerly nodded in approval.

I sighed, tossing the paper towel away before grabbing a dry one.

"Fine," I caved in. I wiped my face dry of any water left dripping off of my chin. "It's Derek."

They both took a step back to think for a moment before Veronica looked scared.

"Derek Johnson?" She gasped.

"Maybe? His last name starts with a J," I shrugged, looking at both of them.

They silently looked at each other, worried.

"What?!"

Betty lowered her voice. "You know he's a serpent, right?"

"Yeah? That's how I found him! You'll read our interaction in the paper," I told them, waving my hand in annoyance and distress.

"Okay," Veronica threw her hands up in the air. She let them fall to her sides. "You're crazier than I thought you were."

"He's nice! And crazy hot!" I told them, crossing my arms. "He's also my boyfriend," I confessed, quieter.

"Enough out of your mouth," Veronica shook her head. "We've only been here for thirty minutes and you're already dating a gang member!"

"A nice gang member," I corrected.

"A criminal!" Veronica exclaimed.

"Look," Betty chimed in. "We just want you to have the best. That's all."

"Just give him a shot, alright?" I pleaded.

They nodded, hesitantly. We all left the bathroom and spent the rest of the night partying. Betty and I walked out of the school when the party was almost over and began walking home.

"Did Jughead leave early? I haven't seen him all night," I told her, worried.

"Archie told me that something came up and he had to go," Betty shrugged.

I was a little upset that Jughead left the party so soon, but I decided to not prod too much into his life. I continued on with the party, dancing, and singing until my voice scratched.

We made it home and changed into our pajamas, able to get past my sleeping dad once again. Betty and I crawled into bed, exhausted, and fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sososososoo SOOOO sorry I haven't updated in a looong time. I was busy with school and finally graduated yesterday! Which means I can get back to working on my story!
> 
> I also realized that I skipped a complete chapter, but I fixed it and it's there now!
> 
> Nonetheless, thank you all for being so patient!


	11. Conflict

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Woahhhhh ok hi everyone! Sorry for the v v v late update. I thankfully have all of my chapters in order and all the time in the world to post! No more long breaks. Viva la story!

**Tuesday**

**Nov. 1st**

Betty had her bags packed once again, ready to leave my house. We both stood near the front door, and I watched as she slung her backpack over her shoulder.

"You sure you'll be alright at Veronica's place?" I asked, eyeing her and her bags. "You're always welcome to stay longer."

Betty smiled and nodded confidently as if she was ready to go on another adventure. "Yep! I feel like I haven't thanked you enough for letting me crash here," she spoke, humble.

"You're fine," I reassured. "It'll feel weird without you here though."

"I'll visit," she winked.

Then we heard the sound of two honks from a car outside. I quickly walked up and hugged Betty, who hugged my back. We said our goodbyes, and just like that, she was gone.

My parents weren't home, which was why they couldn't say their goodbyes. I was left home alone with me and my laptop. I threw some pictures in Photoshop and touched them up before I got a text.

 **Derek:** ****Good morning

 **Me:**  It's two in the afternoon?

 **Derek:** irrelevant. When can I see you again?

 **Me:**  Idk. School?

 **Derek** **:**  Lame. Meet me in the field behind school

 **Me:**  ok???

I decided to walk to the football field instead of driving my car there, because of my previous experience. It was a bit chilly out, but my baggy sweater solved that problem. I tucked my hands underneath my sleeves, clutching the ends to contain the warmth.

Once I made it to the field, I practically stood in the middle and looked around for him, until I saw him on the top of the bleachers smoking a cigarette.

I strolled over to him to find that it wasn't a cigarette. It was a blunt. I climbed the bleachers and finally plopped down beside him. Immediately, he handed the blunt over to me.

"Want a hit?" He asked, before coughing a bit.

I shook my head. "I don't do drugs."

He scoffed with a grin, then saying "Goodie two shoes."

I shot a glare, which he quickly noticed and started laughing.

"It's true!" He defended himself. "I mean, you have pretty much straight A's, you have two parents, a nice house, and you don't even do drugs! It's just-..." he sighed. 

"What?" I leaned over.

He looked at me dead in the eye and said: "Why are you dating me?"

I blinked a few times at him, wondering that myself. "I don't know, actually. You seem nice, you're cute... uh. You have really great hair." I smiled, laughing a little.

Derek rolled his eyes, smiling a little out of sheer doubt. I knew I had said the wrong thing, so I tried to say something more meaningful. "This is gonna sound silly but you make me feel like there's more than just this town," I admitted.

He took another hit, before holding it out to me again. "That  _is_  silly."

I looked at the blunt and decided to take it. What's the worst that could happen?

I took a hit and started coughing immediately.

"No, no. You hold it in and  _then_ cough," he instructed.  
  
I tried that, but still didn't get anything out of it. I shook my head in disgust and handed the blunt back to him, wavering the smoke away.

"That's not for me," I sorely said, coughing some more.

He shrugged and took another hit, coughed, and said: "Suit yourself, goodie." He flicked the blunt away and then turned to me, kissing my cheek and neck. I was completely dazed, feeling the effects of weed a little.

Instead of wondering about my relationship or my problems, I wondered about Jughead. I wondered why he left in such a hurry, and why he hadn't texted me in the past couple of hours when we text almost all the time. I couldn't stop thinking about how he glared at Derek. I couldn't stop thinking about what he was about to say before I left him. Was I doing something wrong here?

Derek turned my face to him, snapping me out of my thought process.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked, staring at me lovingly.

I the edge of my lips turned up a little.

"You."

We kissed and chatted for about an hour before I started to walk home. On my way back, I nearly got hit by a car. I was too dazed to pay attention to anything, and a car swerved around the corner before hitting its horn. I stumbled backward where the car sped by me. I blinked a few times before I stood up. I walked across the street without looking both ways because I was so out of it. That shook me up a little, so I went home and started eating like crazy. Chips, chocolate, sodas, and anything to satisfy this burst of hunger.

Later on, as I was getting over the small high, my mom came home and walked into my room.   
  
"Cath?" She called, peeking in.

"Yeah?" I turned to look at her from my bed.  
  
"Your dad and I are going on a little vacation this weekend since we've been overworking. We need some private time, you know?" 

I nodded, a little upset that I couldn't go. I also needed a break.

"You can handle yourself. I'll have a hundred dollars in the cupboard for food," she explained.

"Alright," I nodded, wishing she would leave. She did, and I ended up falling asleep.

Sunday passed quickly since there was nothing left to do. My dad and I watched some football and I took some pictures outside.

**Wednesday**

**Nov. 2nd**

I waited for Jughead to come by my house.

It was 7:10 A.M. and he normally comes at seven. It made me worry, honestly. I almost texted him until I saw him walk towards my house from down the road. He seemed upset, and I couldn't help but think that it was my fault. I felt like it was my fault because I knew I had completely ditched him at the dance, even though it's silly to get mad over something like that. Then again, it's Jughead. He tends to get a little defensive about the littlest of things. At the same time, I  _did_  ask him to come to the dance and practically abandoned him. I couldn't put my finger on what he was upset about, but I wanted to help nonetheless.

He passed my house, assuming I would follow, which I did. I quietly walked next to him as he listened to music and shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. I had no idea what he was listening to, but judging by the aggressive noise, it was the type of music you'd listen to when you want to punch a wall. My stomach churned at the idea of confrontation, but it bothered me how quiet he was.

We got to Pop's and we sat down in the same booth as we always do, except he sat across from me this time and let me sit first. I buried my head in my crossed arms, resting on the table. I needed sleep, but I also needed my best friend.

"The usual?" I heard the waitress say.

I raised my head and looked at Jughead, who took out a headphone, looking at both me and the waitress in confusion. I assumed he didn't here since he built a wall between himself and the world using only his headphones.

"Yeah," I told her.

Once she walked away, Jughead almost put the headphone back in until I grabbed his arm and looked into his eyes. He seemed pissed about something, and I intended to find out what.

"Jughead," I pleaded. "Don't leave me in the dark like this. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he lied, shrugging. I gave him a look. "My dad and I just got into a fight this morning. That's all."

"Just this morning? You haven't texted me the past two days," I told him.

"I was busy," he lied again.

"Doing what?"

"Writing my novel, finishing the last touches on the newspaper," he listed off.

I sighed, looking out the window. I bit my lip in thought and frustration.

I heard Jughead sigh and put on his headphones again. I felt defeated. I went on my phone while we ate so I wasn't all that bored and uncomfortable.

After we finished breakfast, we went to school. Immediately we separated, and Derek caught me in the halls. He held my hand and put his arm around me as everyone ogled at us—as if I had two heads and he had four arms.

The bell rang and he pushed me into the locker gently, allowing our hands to intertwine as he gave me a long gentle kiss before we separated. My first couple of periods passed by, and then it was lunch.

I wasn't ready for lunch, mostly because Derek wanted to hang out with me but I couldn't abandon my friends for Derek.

"Where are we going?" He asked, as we neared my table. I saw Betty and Veronica notice us, and quickly whisper at Kevin, Archie, and Jughead.

"Can you be nice to my friends?" I asked him.

He looked at them, and sighed. "I can try."

We approached the extra two spaces on the bench.

"Hey, guys!" I gave an awkward smile. "This is Derek," I introduced.

They all gave their own variations of hello, all of them seeming hesitant.

"Hey guys," was all he replied with.

Half of lunch, the table seemed off. I could tell that they were bothered by Derek, but I couldn't help it. I didn't want to abandon them, or him. I rested my head on Derek's shoulder and looked at Jug for a response. He looked upset the whole time. I then looked at Veronica who kept up her usual façade. Betty and Archie kept quiet, and Kevin couldn't stop staring at Derek, afraid he was going to do something.

"Oh..." Derek finally uttered.

"What?" I asked him, sitting up to look at him.

He pointed at Jughead and finally said: "I know your dad!"

"What about it?" Jughead said in a harsh tone. Jughead never liked bringing up his dad around us since he wasn't the  _best_  father and felt embarrassed about that, even though we didn't mind at all.

Derek took his tone as an attack. Derek had dealt with some tough guys in the serpents, so he immediately got defensive.

"Nothing. I just finally made the connection on how you inherited his trait of being a coward."

"Derek!" I hit his shoulder and gave him a glare. I wasn't going to stand the two getting in a fight. " _Knock it off._ "

He just laughed at my attempt to get him to stop. "What? Can he not stand up for himself like his dad?"

Archie finally stood up and said, "Listen, man. You should go."

Derek scoffed and looked at me for backup. I just turned my head away from him, disgusted.

"Come on, Cath. We're going," he grabbed my wrist and stood me up.

"I'm not going anywhere," I defended myself as he nearly dragged me out of my seat. "I'm staying here with my friends."

He yanked me close to him like a dog on a leash, talking in my ear, still loud enough for my friends to hear

"If I had to put up with  _your_  friends, you have to put up with  _mine_ ," he gritted, looking me in the eyes. This was different. It was scary. It wasn't attractive or anything of that nature.

I looked at my friends helplessly and saw a different look from Jug. He looked like he felt pity for me, which made me feel ashamed. I looked at Archie who just gave a gentle nod. They all seemed forgiving, but I couldn't forgive myself. Though, I didn't exactly have a choice.

Derek pulled me along with him anyways as my friends conversed with each other in hushed whispers, glaring at Derek and I as he guided me away as I fell behind. I was stuck with him and other serpent members, who were all loud and crude. Even though Derek had his arm around me, laughing at inappropriate dumb jokes, I could feel the eyes of the other members on me as if I was fresh meat in a shark tank.

I wish I had known that Derek was a big red flag. 


	12. The Truth

**Thursday**

**Nov. 10th**

After that day at lunch, Derek and I decided to put that event behind us and agree that we didn't like each other's friends. I couldn't forget how he basically manhandled me in front of them though. But of course, he kissed himself out of the sticky situation.

As I thought about Derek's grip, I remembered the paper about him. Excitedly, I dug into my backpack. I stuffed it somewhere in my bag during passing period while I was in a rush.

I pulled it out, like a golden ticket. I flipped through some pages and found the article, but I only saw all of the serpents we interviewed besides Derek.

Naturally, I was a little upset. I wasn't mad at Jughead or anything, but I wondered why he took out Derek.

I texted him about it and got no reply for hours until later on that night.

 **Me:**  How come Derek wasn't in the paper?

 **Juggy:**  oh sorry :/ I forgot I had a separate file for him since he was added in late

I had the gut feeling that it was because Jughead didn't like the idea of me and Derek together. I grew determined to have him and Derek be friends so I could be with both of them without feeling guilty.

Thursday, after school, my parents weren't home yet again. Derek and I were on the front steps, making out and being flirty. Derek moved his hand down my stomach and attempted to go below the belt, but I quickly grabbed his hand and nervously laughed.

"Slow down there, Derek," I nervously laughed. "I'm not ready for that kind of stuff yet.

"When will you be ready then?" He asked me, a little more demanding than forgiving.

I took his hand in both of mine, saying, "In a month or two?"

In reality, I didn't know and I started to feel uncomfortable. Thankfully, I noticed Jughead walking down the street. We made eye contact and he almost turned around.

"Jughead!" I called before he could escape.

I could hear his sigh from half a block away. He slowly walked over, slouched, one headphone in.

"Yeah?" He asked, sounding irritated already.

"Wanna hang out?" I asked. "Like, right now?"

Derek laughed a little. "Pipsqueak has somewhere to be. Isn't that right, Jones?"

"I do, actually. I have to go," he deadpanned at me.

My plan failed, and I made things even worse. I hit Derek's shoulder again.

"Derek, I swear to god! If you talk shit about Jughead one more time, we're over," I threatened, pointing at him with my brows raised.

His eyes widened a little as he jokingly put his hands up. "Alright! Alright," he grinned, returning to his cool self.

I crossed my arms and looked away from him, until he pulled me into a hug. Not long after that, we were kissing again.

I started to hate how _easy_ I was to Derek. He had a certain control over me, and I hated it more than anything. I really liked Derek, though.

I bitterly rested in his arms as we watched the sunset over the park.

 

* * *

 

After being stopped by Catherine and  _the idiot_ , better known as Derek, I stormed towards the school, eager to lock myself under the stairs in the janitor's room and be angry alone.

On my way, as the gears were turning, I felt the magical light bulb over my head. That was it!

I turned around and avoided Catherine's house, making my way to my dad's house. I slammed my fist on the door and waited for it to open. Dad opened the door and looked at me, first irritated, then eager.

"Hey, son," he leaned in the doorway, trying to act normal. "What's goin' on?"

"Derek," I told him, pushing my way inside to find that the house was still a mess, which wasn't much of a shocker anymore.

"Remind me who he is again?"

"A serpent. About seventeen or eighteen. Brown hair? Chiseled jaw? A huge douche?" I tried to describe.

"Oh yeah," it clicked. Suddenly, he grew protective. "He givin' you problems? I know he goes to the same school as you."

"What has he done? No offense, but he's had to do something bad to be in the Serpents," I cautiously said.

My dad sat on the couch, picked up his half-finished beer and took a swig. "Mmmm..." he thought. His eyes widened a little and he looked back over to me. "He beat up Jason Blossom for something drug-related. He really got the poor kid. That was probably two weeks before he died, though."

He paused, letting out a harsh sigh.

"Anything else? Like, murder?" I asked, pressing him to spill.

Dad laughed and looked at me. "He'd be in jail, Jug. Come on."

"I need something more, dad!" I raised my voice, growing impatient.

"Alright, kid! Hold your horses," he laughed a little,  his eyes widening a little in alarm. He paused for a moment, rubbing his calloused palm on his stubble. "One time he robbed a corner store. He got away with it though, obviously..." he paused again, until suddenly perking up. "He also got into another fight and almost killed some poor bastard with a gun. I also heard that he beat up that gay kid, Kevin. Is that good enough for ya?"

I sighed, nodding. "It'll do. Thanks, dad."

My dad gave a nod, before looking a little upset. "You gonna stay, Jughead?"

"School tomorrow. I need to stay close to it," I lied.

He just nodded, a poor attempt to hide his sadness. I love my dad, and I don't enjoy making him feel like a bad parent, but there's no way I was going to live in that pig stein. I gave my dad a brief goodbye before walking out of the house, my backpack still slung over my shoulder. I was on my way to school, but decided on staying over at Archies. I knocked on the Andrew's door, and Fred opened it.

"Hey, Jughead. What's going on?" He asked me, a soft smile spread across his face.

"I need a place to sleep tonight," I told him, a little embarrassed. It wasn't anything new since it hasn't been the first time.

"Not a problem. It's up to Archie, but he doesn't have any plans," Fred told me.

I was welcomed in, and I climbed up the stairs to Archie's room.

I opened the door to find him playing his guitar, humming to himself. He looked up to see me and then smiled.

"You stayin' over?" He asked.

"Can I?"

"Hell yeah, bro."

Just like that, Archie and I played video games until we bombed out.

 

* * *

 

 

**Friday**

**Nov. 11th**

I woke up earlier today since my parents were practically running around the house. They both were finally going on a well-deserved vacation to a resort. As they were hurrying, I got ready and curled my hair with my extra time.

"I gotta go," I hollered upstairs.

"Wait!" Mom yelled, before jogging down the steps, nearly tumbling down. Dad followed, much slower and calm.

Mom hugged me and gave me a big kiss on my cheek, before smiling at me. "There's two hundred dollars in the cabinet, and there are some frozen dinners if you don't feel like eating out. No party's."

"I know," I laughed a little, knowing no one would come to my party even if I had one.

"See you in three days, kid," dad gave me a hug, kissing my head.

"I gotta run," I said, giving them a kiss back. "Have fun, kids."

They both laughed a little, and I left. Jughead was outside, waiting. He seemed a bit off, but then again, he had been off since the Halloween dance.

"Hey, Juggy," I greeted, jogging down my steps. "Sorry for the wait. My parents are leaving for the weekend."

"It's cool," he nodded, walking faster than usual. It took us no time to get to Pop's. Today, Jughead sat next to me. I was glad, but I was also a bit anxious. Why was he warming up to me all of the sudden?

"What's going on?" I asked him, telling by his body language he needed to say something. I was concerned for Jughead.

Jughead looked at me, also concerned. "About Derek." He took in a deep breath. "He's not a good guy."

"I know," I sighed, a bit ashamed. "Don't have to tell me twice."

"I do, though."

I looked at him and cocked my head a little, confused. Jughead looked around, trying to figure out what to say, as if he would find it written on the wall.

"I found out that he beat up Jason Blossom, three weeks before his death."

My eyes widened, before saying "That's horrible! Why would he do that?"

"Drug complications, since Jason had to buy and sell for money," Jughead explained. "That's not all. He almost shot some guy with a gun, and he also robbed a corner store."

I sat there, puzzled. "He seems so nice," I shook my head.

"He also beat up Kevin at one point, for being gay," Jughead finally said.

My eyes widened even more, if that was even possible. "Oh _hell_ no. I am  _not_  dating a homophobe," I gritted my teeth. I crossed my arms and sat forward, thinking. "I have to break up with him."

I then covered my face, becoming sad at the fact that I have to break up with Derek. I then put my face down on the table, wrapping my arms around my head. Jughead put his hand on my back, gently rubbing it for support.

I heard the heels of the waitress approach the table.

"The usual, Kelly," he told her softly. She walked away, and Jughead brought his attention back to me.

"I'm sorry I had to tell you all that, but I didn't want you in danger," he told me.

I just nodded, swallowing my emotions. I sat up and rested my chin on my supporting hand, looking at Jughead. I felt the tears on the verge of my eyes, but I tried to smile it all away.

"Thank you for telling me." I sniffed, staring at Jughead's concerned gaze. "It'll suck, but hey. My friends are more important."

Jughead nodded, and then looked past me. I turned my head to find Pop bring over the food. We both ate and then went to school. During lunch, I avoided Derek to hang out with my friends.

As Veronica, Betty, Archie, and Jughead were joking around with each other, I leaned forward to Kevin.

"Hey, Kev?" I quietly spoke.

He looked left and right and then leaned forward.

"Yeah?"

"Did Derek beat you up?" I asked.

He grew a little embarrassed, his cheeks growing red. "Yeah. He dropped the f-bomb, and it wasn't fuck. He really got me that day," Kevin sheepishly laughed it off.

"I'm so sorry!" I gasped, taking his hand. "I'm breaking up with him later."

"You don't have to do that," he assured me, slightly panicked. "I'm over it."

"You shouldn't be," I told him. "It's not right."

He smiled at me a little, and I let go of his hand, smiling back.

I caught Jughead glancing at me and Kevin, but he quickly looked back at Archie, Betty, and Veronica.

After school, I went home and watched TV in the living room since I could. It was beginning to rain since it was cloudy the whole day. A horror movie was on, and the killer slowly walked to the door. I was tense, anticipating him bursting in the room. As he neared, the doorbell rang. I gasped, flinching at the sound.

However, I was still tense. I knew exactly who was at the door.

_Derek._


	13. The Hurt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Abuse :(

**Friday Night**

**Nov. 11th**

My hand was on the doorknob, but I couldn't find the strength to turn it. I was shaking, not knowing what to do.

The door knocked again.

"Come on, babe! I'm drenched out here!" He complained, muffled through the wooden entrance.

I bit my lower lip and finally opened the door. He pushed his way inside, dripping with water. He tracked it all the way to the living room without a greeting or an apology. I watched from behind him as he roughly shook his Serpent jacket, getting more of the water off. It was a mess, but nothing compared to what was about to come.

"Derek?" I softly called, trying to push through the lump in my throat.

He turned to me. "Yeah?"

I cleared my throat, trying to not cry. "We need to talk."

He looked worried and took a step towards me, but I took a step back. He quickly stopped, waiting for me to speak.

I looked at him dead in the eyes and said "I know what you've done. I know about you beating Jason Blossom. I know about you hurting one of my best friends, Kevin. I even know about you robbing that corner store."

The whole mood changed from concerned to defensive.  
  
"Well, I'm a serpent! What do you expect?" He threw his hands in the air.

I shook my head, walking closer to the living room. I pulled up my sleeves and placed my hands on my head, still shaking it. "I don't  _know_  what I expected from you."

He just stared at me, waiting for me to speak. I looked at him again, now crying a little. "You don't just  _hurt_  people, Derek. What did Kevin ever do to you? What did Jason-"

"How about you mind your own goddamn business," he stepped closer to me.

"You  _are_  my business!" I raised my voice.

"No! I'm not!" He shouted, loud enough to rupture my heart. I pulled out my phone and turned around. I quickly texted Jughead.

 **Me:**  help

I tucked my phone away and turned to see him look at me, anger in his eyes. He knew exactly what was coming.

"Why isn't it my business then?" I asked.

"You'll get hurt if you keep that kind of shit up, Catherine. You're always digging your nose into stuff you shouldn't, like my life," he scolded, walking closer.

"Your life?! Hah! You walked into mine without saying excuse me!" I mocked. "I'll get into where I want to get into, and if I get hurt, that's on me."

"Oh is it?" He asked, swiftly grabbing my arm. He tightened his grip.

He yanked me towards him, and I struggled to pry his grasp. "Let go!" I shouted, my throat closing in fear.

"Exactly! You know, have you ever thought that we should just stop... whatever it is that we have going on? Because I have. I don't need a sophomore slowing me down and making me soft," he squeezed tighter.

"I said, let  _GO_!"

With all the force I had, I pushed him off of me, which led him to fall onto the glass coffee table. Somehow, instead of falling backward, he stumbled and turned so that he fell face first as a poor attempt at stopping himself from falling. The table shattered underneath his force, glass everywhere, wood snapped. I covered my mouth, scared that I might've killed him. After a few seconds, he moved, slowly getting up. He stood on his two feet and turned around to me with a deadly glare that will forever chill me to my bones. At that moment, I  _wished_  I had killed him.

"You're gonna regret that," he threatened, blood dripping from his head. Lightning came through the windows, and as soon as the thunder boomed, he ran.

I chased towards the stairs. He followed me and easily caught me, like a lion and an elk. He pushed me on the stairs, and then accidentally stepped on my ankle. At least I  _thought_  it was an accident.

I screamed as loud as I could as he punched and slapped me, pulling my hair. He got my nose, my lip, and gave me a couple of good slaps on my cheek. 

His fist was pulled back, and I covered my face. In that split second, there was a knock at the door.

I waited, looking at Derek with bated breath, wide eyes. He let down his arm, giving me a disgusted look. He kicked me onto my side, quietly turned, and walked away. I winced under his foot, beginning to let out soft sobs.

I sat up and watched as he was walking across the floor towards the door. 

"If you walk out of that door," I croaked, in amidst the eerie silence. "we're over."

He stopped for a split second, which scared me more than anything.

I didn't say that so he would stay. I said that so he would leave,  _forever_.

Without glancing at me, he continued to walk to the door. I began crying, mixed with emotions. I curled up in a ball on the steps that he hurt me on.

I overheard Jughead and Derek.

"Where is she?" Jughead gritted, clenching his fists as he stared him down with the most hateful glare. 

"She's your problem now, Shrimp," he patted Jughead's back, before leaving. 

I looked up to see a drenched Jughead give me a helpless stare, but he gave me a look of concern more than Derek ever had.

"H-he beat me, Juggy," I whimpered, at a complete loss. "He didn't bat an eye while doing it either..."

He rushed over to me and sat beside me, bringing me in his arms. I let myself cry on his shoulder, while he silently accepted it. 

"I'm sorry that went the way it did," Jughead comforted, rubbing my back.  
  
"It's not your fault," I sniffled. "It was mine for being so  _stupid._ "

"You're not stupid," he sighed. "You're amazing.  _He's_  the one that's stupid for not seeing that."

I smiled a little, tired and weary. 

"Where did he hit you?" He asked, looking at my face. "Oh my god, Catherine. Your nose!"

I gently touched it, and it felt sore. I touched below my nostril to feel a sense of wetness. I lifted my hand up to my eyes, finding that I had a bad bloody nose.

"Come on. Let's get you cleaned up," he suggested, standing up. I tried to stand up on my own, but winced and fell back down.

"My ankle," I cried a little. "He stomped on it as he pinned me down.

Jughead shook his head, looking as if the more I talked about what happened, the angrier he would get.

"Derek is going to wish he was dead," Jughead assured me, before lifting me up. I gasped and looked at his shirt, now bloody from me.

"Your shirt! I'm so sorry," I quickly apologized.

Jughead just scoffed, climbing the stairs as he carried me. "It's not a big deal, Cath. I'll just wash it."

We made it to my bathroom, and he propped me up on the sink. I took some toilet paper and cleaned my own face off while Jughead felt my ankle. I stuffed my nose and looked in the mirror to do so. I saw how much of a mess I was, and noticed how bad I looked. My lip was busted real bad, and-

"OW!" I screamed in a great amount of pain.

"I found it," Jughead flatly said, standing up. "I doubt you broke it, but it's probably twisted at the worst."

"So I guess I'll be hobbling around for a few days," I sighed, looking down at my foot.

"I won't mind carrying you around," Jughead smiled a little. I let out a small laugh, feeling bad that Jughead had to be my caretaker for the next few days. 

I let Jughead carry me back downstairs, and he laid me down on the couch before propping my leg up with a pillow. 

"How are you feeling?" He asked, kneeling down to pick up the glass from the coffee table remains. Though everything just happened a mere twenty minutes ago, I still appreciated his concern.

"Much better now that you're here," I smiled, closing my eyes. "What would I do without you, Juggy?"

"Just fine. You proved that in Oregon."

I scoffed. "No, I didn't. Oregon was bullshit. Oregon was the worst time of my life." I started choking up again, so I forced myself to sit up. Jughead looked at me, a little scared. I looked back at him. "Once we left Riverdale, we-..." I choked on my words. "We got in an accident. It was so horrible. I braced for myself, but Claire..."

Jughead got up and sat next to me, listening to every word.

I sniffled, continuing. "Claire didn't see it coming. It was a pickup truck that t-boned us, on Claire's side. She was listening to music and I always thought back to that split second when I could've moved her away. It's my fault that she's not here. She's not in college. She's just gone," I sobbed, leaning on Jughead. He noticed my hands trembling, and gently took them into his; warming them. His thumb brushing over the back of my hand helped me catch my breath. "After that, I just... lost myself? You know? I thought it was an omen, but I couldn't go back to Riverdale. My parents had the funeral bills to pay, and the car insurance, and the car repairs, and the hospital bills. We've been drowning in Oregon until we came back. In all honesty, I needed you the whole fucking time I was in Oregon."

Jughead took a hard swallow, processing everything I had just said. I stared at him, tears welling in my eyes again, which he noticed. He pulled me into a hug, and I continued to cry on his shoulder. "I didn't tell anyone about Claire because I didn't want to be reminded, and I hope you don't bring her up after today."

"I won't," he assured, his vocal chords vibrating on my shoulder. 

We held on for a few seconds longer, until we both let go. He looked at me, before hinting a smile. "Thanks for coming back for me. I needed you too."

I smiled back at him, wiping away my tears. I fell back on the couch, and he continued to pick up the glass. He let me nap while he made sure there were no small specks of glass left on the carpet for me to accidentally step on. Once he cleaned everything up, he lifted my legs up and sat down, then resting my legs on his lap.

I woke up for a moment, hearing the wind press against the window. I looked at the window, and then at Jughead, who was on his phone. 

"What are you doing?" I curiously asked, reaching for the remote.

"Just writing down stuff for my novel," he shrugged, not looking up from his screen. He seemed focused, so I didn't want to bother his thought process. I grabbed the remote from the small table next to the arm of the couch behind me, and turned on Netflix.

"Any movie suggestions?" I looked back at Jug.

"Have you seen any Quentin Tarantino movies?" Jughead asked without skipping a beat.

"Is that an actor?" I asked.

He snatched the remote from my hands and rapidly typed in the search bar.

**_PULP FICTION_ **

"Oh!" I pointed at the screen, dangling my wrist lazily. "I've always wanted to watch that but I never got around to it."

"It's a classic," Jughead marveled, smiling to himself. "Typically, most people start with Pulp Fiction and work their way through the others."

He selected the movie and placed the remote beside himself. He looked back at me and pointed his finger at my face.

"If you fall asleep during the movie, then I'll be pissed at you," he threatened, still smiling with excitement.

"I guess I'll sit up then," I sighed, picking myself up. I couldn't help but smile, seeing Jughead be filled with so much amusement. It's a rare sight, and it's nice to see on a tense night such as this. His eyes widened, revealing the electric blue that's always hidden. What warmed my heart, even more, was how he'd glance over to see my reaction, poorly hiding his smile.

At the beginning of the movie, Jughead was completely glued to the screen. Towards the middle, I realized how long the movie actually was. I grew tired, but I couldn't let Jughead down. I rested my head on his shoulder, hoping he wouldn't mind. Opposite to what I thought he would do, he ended up resting his head on mine.

Unsurprisingly, I ended up taking a small nap. I woke up about ten minutes later. Thankfully Jughead didn't notice me check out for the moment.

Towards the end of the movie, I was fighting to keep my eyes open, and so was Jughead.

As the credits rolled, I looked up at him.

"Another?" He asked.

"Another?!" I whined. "Juggy, it's almost ten. You should go home," I said. "Your dad's probably worried."

Jughead made a face, saying "About that..."

I sat up and looked at him, rubbing my sore eyes. "What is it?"

Jughead turned to me and said "Look, since you told me about your sister I think I should tell you my secret. I mean, you already found out my biggest one, so I guess this is my second biggest."

I assumed when he said "his biggest secret" he meant the fact that F.P. was a serpent. I listened to him.

"Okay. I wouldn't call it being homeless, but-"

"Jughead!" I scolded him, more offended at the fact that he never told me.

"Wait! Alright? It's my decision. Have you seen my dad's house? It's an absolute mess! Beer bottles and food everywhere. He brings over his biker buddies and then he gets drunk and I can't sleep. Sometimes I stay at Archies, sometimes I stay in the janitor's closet," he shrugged.

"Jug," I softly said, taking his cheek. I traced my thumb over his various moles. "You can stay here this weekend. How's that?" I smiled.

"Nah," he declined. "That's fine. I don't want to bother your... healing process..." he said, unsure of his excuse.

I ignored his excuse. "Come on, Juggy! You're gonna leave me here alone for the  _whole_  weekend? Without any supervision with my poor ankle?" I over exaggerated.

He looked down at me and sighed. "Fine. As long as we can watch another movie," he grinned.

"Deal."

With that, I leaned on Jughead and he leaned on me again. He casually put his arm around me, holding me. I noticed that he had fallen asleep in the middle of the movie, so I fell asleep without any warning. 


	14. Caretaker

**Saturday Morning**

**Nov. 12th**

I woke up to find myself laying on the couch, daylight breaking in through the blinds. I silently panicked for a moment when I felt an arm squeeze around my stomach.

I heard Jughead tiredly groan as he cuddled me. He was curled up behind me, still sleeping. I was tempted to pretend like I didn't notice and wait for him to wake up and deal with it, but someone had to make breakfast.

I waited for Jug's grip to loosen, so I moved his arm and sat up. I rubbed my face, trying to get my blood pumping to my eyes. Once I stood up, I quickly jumped on one leg. I had forgotten about my ankle for a moment. I hobbled to the kitchen where I started cracking eggs and making toast and bacon.

I looked over at Jughead and remembered Betty asking me if I liked him.

_"So. You and Jughead," she looked at me._

_I shrugged, acting clueless. "What about us?"_

_"You like him, don't you?" She smiled, tilting her head, looking brighter than before._

I looked at his features from afar. His curly dark hair, his perfectly placed moles, his long nose that twitches occasionally when he's focused; but that's not what I actually like him for. He listens to me and was sweeter to me than anyone else. He's sarcastic, fairly smart, funny, charming.

The toast popped up, startling me. I made a small gasp, quickly looking back at Jughead. He was still sound asleep. 

_Thank God._

Once the eggs and toast were finished, I perfectly placed them on the plate, along with the bacon of course.

I walked over to Jughead and stared at him for a moment, which felt elongated.

"Juggy," I cooed to him, not wanting to rudely awaken him. 

His blue eyes fluttered open, squinting at me. They quickly widened as he swiftly sat up.

"Oh my god," he panicked, looking at the couch and then me, embarrassed. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," I assured, giving him a small smile. After handing him his hot plate, I sat beside him. "It reminded me of when we were younger and we would just bomb out in your treehouse."

Jughead scoffed, sticking his fork into the scrambled eggs. "Yeah, I remember. I think that was my favorite actually."

"Favorite what?"

"Favorite memories," he told me, softer than before.

I looked down, saying "Mine too," quietly following with "Still is."

His head perked up for a moment, before sulking back down. I knew he heard me, and the butterflies in my stomach went wild.

"This is some Pop's level breakfast you made," he complimented, changing the subject.

I just smiled, before turning away in thought. I couldn't stop thinking about everything that happened yesterday. I gently touched my cheek and could feel a bruise coming. 

"How are you feeling?" He asked me, noticing how aloof I was. 

I looked at him and wearily said: "Honestly, I'm a little scared." He shifted in his seat, turning his body towards me a little. I continued by questioning, "What if dating Derek got me into hot water? Do you think I'm in danger or something?"

Jughead touched my cheek and looked at me in the eyes. "I promise you, the serpents won't come after you. If they did, for some strange reason, there will be hell to pay."

We both realized how close we were to each other's faces, and inched closer and closer. I closed my eyes, ready for the kiss. Time suddenly became slow, and my senses were heightened. 

I felt his hand on my cheek, guiding me like the lights on a runway. Then, I felt his warm breath touching my face, sending goosebumps all over me.   
  
****Knock Knock Knock.**  **

Jughead and I pulled back, our eyes shooting open. In reality, that was all in the span of five seconds. Those five seconds were crushed by the stranger at my door.

"Coming," I hollered, getting up. I set my plate on the couch as I made it over to the door. I peeked through the peephole to find that it was Betty and Veronica. I looked at Jughead with fear.

"It's Betty and Veronica," I mouthed.

"What should I do?" He mouthed back, shrugging in a panic.

I looked back at the door to hear Veronica knock and shout "Wake up, Cath!" 

I turned to Jug and said "You came here for breakfast because I needed to tell someone about Derek," I pointed to my cheek.

Jughead nodded, and I opened the door. Betty and Veronica went from casual to horrified.

"Oh my god, Cath! What happened?" Betty gasped, taking my cheek. "Did someone hit you?"

"Derek," I admitted, staring down at my socks. "We got in a bad fight and broke up."

"What a loser," Veronica fumed. "What else did he do to you?"

Veronica walked in, and Betty naturally followed. Both stopped and looked to see Jughead with his cheeks stuffed with eggs.

"Jughead walked by and, well, I had to tell someone about what happened last night," I lied.

Jughead took a large swallow and said "I came by early, hence the Breakfast Club," he raised his plate of half-eaten food.

All of them sat on the couch while I sat in my dad's reclining chair. I went through the whole night all over again, my voice trembling at some moments. I ate my breakfast as I told the tale.

"So he left me with a hurt ankle, a bruised cheek, and a broken glass table that I now have to pay for slash explain to my parents," I sighed, leaning back in the chair. 

"Okay. How do we get him back?" Veronica proposed.

"I think we should trash his stupid bike," Betty grinned.

"Ooooo," Veronica wiggled, raising her brows. "I like your thinking, Betty."

"No, guys," I shook my head. "We can't. He's already a serpent. He could hurt us somehow if he  _ever_  found out we trashed his bike."

"I have to side with Jingle here, guys," Jughead gnawed on bacon, looking at both of the girls. 

They both sighed, then looked at me slightly defeated.

"Can we do anything to help?" Betty asked, still seeming concerned.

"Maybe you can find me a new coffee table before my parents come home? I have two hundred dollars, if that can even get a glass table," I told them.

"We're on it!" Veronica perked up. "Where's the money?" 

"In one of the cabinets," I pointed in the kitchen. "It's out in the open."

Veronica rummaged through the wooden cabinets before pulling out two hundred dollars. 

"Betty, Jughead, let's go," Veronica announced

"Maybe Jughead should stay," Betty stood up, then looking at me with a small smile. She looked back at Veronica. "He should probably keep her company. Besides, he'd probably not be that great for table shopping."

"Hey," Jughead chimed in. "I'll have you know that I am an expert at table shopping. I table shop all the time!" 

We all rolled our eyes and smiled. Veronica and Betty left, leaving Jughead and I alone once again. 

I took a deep breath once the door shut, before shivering at the thought of Derek once again.

"Are you cold?" Jughead asked, pulling the blanket off from the top of the couch.

"A little," I lied, not wanting to talk about Derek _ever_  again.

Jughead wrapped the blanket halfway around himself along with a space beside him on the couch.

I limped over from the door and filled in the empty space beside Jughead. We turned on the news and finished our breakfast, which was colder than before. It felt nice being embraced by Jughead, especially in the comfort of my own home. 

After about an hour or so, Jughead began to stand up.

"I need to get my backpack and my laptop. No offense, but I was planning on working on my book this weekend," he told me, leaving the comfort of the heavy blanket.

"When will you be back?" I helplessly asked. "Will you be back?"

"Of course," he scoffed, as if it was obvious. "I'm your caretaker, remember? I just need to do my work, that's all. I'll be back in twenty minutes, tops."

I watched as Jughead walked towards the door. "Don't do anything that I wouldn't do. See you in a bit."

"Alright," I looked over to see him halfway out the door.

Once the door shut again, I was left in a tense silence as the TV played in the background. I turned off the TV and ended up laying down on the couch for a nap. I didn't want to be alone with my thoughts for a whole twenty minutes. I closed my eyes, but not for long.

I felt a hand on my thigh, slowly moving up. I opened my eyes to see Jughead with a smirk on his face. Without thinking, I took his face and we both passionately made out with each other on impulse. Our lips parted, and I went to stare at his beautiful face. Instead of staring in awe, I stood in horror. Instead, I saw Derek and watched as he put a blade to my throat.

"Catherine," he said, in Jughead's voice.

My eyes shot open, my breath heavy and my whole body shaking. I sat up the minute my lids were raised. I saw Jughead with his hand on my knee, looking at me with concern. 

"I'm okay," I trembled, looking around at my surroundings.

"Are you sure?" He raised a brow.

I nodded, sitting up a little bit more. 

Jughead grabbed his laptop case from the ground and sat down on the couch. He unzipped the black case and pulled out his large laptop, before opening it up.

"How long have you had it?" I asked, referring to the laptop. I was trying to make conversation to make up for the awkwardness of my nightmare.

"A year or two, give or take," he shrugged. "I saved up money from the Twilight-In and bought it."

I smiled a little, reminiscing over the old drive-in. Jughead, Jellybean and I would always sneak in. It always seemed so  _easy_. Or maybe the workers knew what we were doing and decided to let us have fun.

Once Jughead's computer started, he immediately opened his novel up in a Word document.

"Mind if I watch you write?" I asked, eager to see the magic first hand.

"I do," he said rather flat.

I looked down at my lap, taking that he doesn't want me to know about anything in his novel.

"Wait," he backed out, realizing that he came off as blunt. "I mean that it's hard for me to write when someone's over my shoulder. You can read the last couple of pages after I'm done with them this week."

"You don't have to show me anything if you don't want to," I assured. 

"But I do want to show you," he insisted, looking over to me.

I gave a gentle smile, laying back on the couch. I pulled out my phone and looked at my Snapchat while Jughead wrote. I switched the camera to him and switched it to the dog filter. I zoomed in on his face, his brows furrowed as he quickly typed. I hit the white button, which made the camera noise.

Jughead looked over and I remained quiet, trying to not laugh at my mistake.

"What did you do?" He asked, disappointed.

"Nothing," I replied, my voice wavering as I tried to conceal my laughter.

"If I look ugly, delete it," he demanded, turning more towards me.

I silently turned my phone screen to him, smiling to myself.

He looked at me dead in the eyes and said: "Delete it."

"No! You're a cute dog!" I laughed, pressing a button so it would add to my story, causing everyone to see it.

"Catherine!" He complained, raising his voice.

"Fine! Fine. It's gone," I lied.

Jughead doesn't use Snapchat that often as it was, so he'd never know.

Either way, Jughead wasn't stupid. He set his laptop on the ground and reached for my phone while I held it back. 

"Jingle!" He pinned me down, taking my phone.

"Stop!" I laughed, trying to grab it back. He used his long arms to hold it away from my reach, looking at my story.

"You said it was gone!" He turned to me, trying to hide his smile.

"It was! I just placed it onto my story," I said quieter.

He rolled his eyes and switched back to the camera mode. "When was the last time we took a picture together?"

"I think they're in your room," I told him, honestly.

He held my phone up, and I sat up behind him, taking his shoulder for stability. He smiled and so did I. He hit the button, and the camera noise sounded. 

"Use that for your story and delete the other one," he told me, handing my phone back. 

He returned to his writing while I went through filters and captioned the picture as "BFF's" before hesitating. I wanted to be problematic and vague. I deleted the original caption and used the double heart emoji sticker instead. Then, I put another heart emoji on my cheek to cover the painfully obvious bruise. I posted it on my story and deleted the other picture, as promised.

I set my phone down and ended up taking another nap, letting Jughead type in peace.


	15. Realization

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been updating frequently the past few days as an apology for takin my sweet sweet time lol. Hope yall enjoy nonetheless!

**Saturday Night**

**Nov. 12th**

 

I rested my head on Jughead's lap, letting him comb through my hair. We watched the movie Kill Bill at about ten at night. With all the naps I had, I was wide awake. Jughead, on the other hand, was slowly falling asleep. He shifted a little, so I sat up and pretended to fix my hair. He ended up laying down, so I waited for a little while until he was mostly asleep. I turned off the TV and laid beside him, enjoying how it felt to not sleep alone.

I tried my best to sleep, but I couldn't. Jughead wrapped his arm around me, holding me closer before murmuring "nice" sleepily. 

"What's nice?" I whispered.

I got no response. Only a small snore. I assumed he was sleep talking to me, or about me. 

After about twenty minutes of laying in the dark, I heard my door handle jiggle, and I slowed my breathing to hear.

I heard it jiggle again, hearing some murmuring of two guys.

"Juggy," I whispered, halfway sitting up.

Again, it jiggled roughly, confirming it wasn't an accident nor a coincidence.

"Jughead!" I whisper-shouted, sitting all the way up. I shook his shoulder to wake him up.

"Huh?" He groaned tiredly, rubbing his eye.

"There are some guys trying to break in," I whispered, looking over to the front door. There were two shadows in the window beside the door.

Jughead protectively stood up and took my shoulder, whispering "Stay here and don't move."

He crept over to the kitchen light and turned it on, before turning some other lights on. We both heard them run away, before hearing something hard hit the front door, making me scream. I quickly covered my mouth, wide-eyed.

Jughead looked through the window to confirm that no one was there anymore. He then opened the door and picked up a rock with a note tied to it. He looked at me, and I held my hand out.

"We don't have to read it," he told me, closing the door behind him.

"But we do," I told him, not wanting to read it either. We couldn't just ignore all of this, just in case it gets us into even more trouble with the Serpents, or at least Derek's gang friends. He handed me the rock, and I read the note out loud, full.

 

" _Dear Catherine,_

_You hurt Derek, shards of glass in his back and a broken heart. You took away his heart, so now we will take away something precious of yours._

_Watch out!_

**_\- Serpents_** "

 

I set down the note, blankly staring at the pillow in front of me. I was deep in thought, wondering what they could take from me. I began to worry about Jughead.

"Juggy, I'm scared," I honestly told him.

"Don't be," he told me, taking my hands. He sat down beside me and I squeezed his. "I'll tell my dad about this and it will be all over."

I nodded and sat on the couch in disbelief.

"Look," he told me. "Let's go to bed and I'll get on it tomorrow. Don't think too much about it," he assured me with a supportive hand on the shoulder. I gave a gentle nod, looking up at him. Jughead placed my arm around his neck and helped me out of the couch. Quietly, we slowly made it up the steps and into my room. He placed his hand on my back, a supportive gesture to help me lay down. He stood up and turned away, about to go downstairs and sleep on the couch, until I grabbed his sleeve.

Jughead turned to me, but instead of looking confused he gave a strange stare. I can only describe it as gentle, his eyebrows raised slightly as he stared, eager for me to say something.

"Don't go," was what came out of my mouth. I nearly pleaded with him. "Please?"

Instead of joking around like he would normally, he nodded and softly said: "I'm just going to turn off the lights."

He did exactly that, and each time a light would dim, I'd become giddy. It meant that he was closer to coming to bed. Once every light was off, and the whole house was dark, he appeared in the doorway, to which we both awkwardly smiled at each other. He turned the last light off—my bedroom light—and crawled into bed with me. Instead of having a pillow between us or one of us sleeping on the blanket and the other sleeping under it, we were close. He had his arm around me and I slung my arm around his waist.

I didn't know what to call us quite yet, but I felt safe.

**Sunday**

**Nov. 13**  
  


I woke up to the door opening downstairs, and I quickly moved my hand over to Jughead, only to find an empty space. There was a note on my stomach, which I quickly grabbed and stuffed in my shirt.

"Catherine?" I heard Kevin grunt from below.

"Coming!" I hollered, rushing out of bed. I was gentle with my ankle, making sure to be careful rushing down the stairs.

I looked to find Kevin helping Veronica and Betty bring in the coffee table, which looked almost identical to the other one. 

They brought it to the empty spot in the middle of the living room, even placing it into the carpet marks so it would be exactly as it would be left.

"Jeez. He really did that," Kevin looked at my face in shock, to which Betty jabbed him with her elbow for.

"Where's Jughead?" Veronica asked, wiping the sweat from her brow.

I shrugged, wondering myself. "He left," was all I could say. 

"So are you both endgame?" Kevin eagerly asked me, eyes wide with excitement.

Betty nudged him again, suggesting that it shouldn't be talked about. Veronica looked at me still expecting a reply.

"I honestly don't know," I told them, truthfully. 

"Oh come on, Catherine! He stayed over at your house! That's already, like, third base!" Veronica encouraged.

"But it's Jughead. We've been so close since forever," I justified not only myself, but Jughead too.

Veronica took a deep breath, looking at Kevin and Betty. She then looked back at me and took my shoulders. "Look. We all believe in you, okay?"

I gave her a confused look, and she patted my good cheek, smiling. Her eyes widened and she gasped.

"Oh! Here."

She whipped out the two hundred she took from yesterday and handed it to me. "You don't owe me. My mom let me get it since...you know," she hinted at Derek.

I took the two hundred, surprised at Veronica's generosity.

"Thank you," was all I could say.

"How's your ankle?" Betty asked, cutting off the moment. She looked at my ankle to see for herself.

"It's sore, but I think I can walk," I assured them. "There's a little bit of bruising, but I'll be okay."

"In that case, do you want to come to Veronica's with us?" Kevin invited.

Veronica flipped her wavy black hair and tilted her head. "You've never been to my place, have you?"

I shook my head. "I can't. I have to wait for my parents to come home.

That was a lie. I was honestly too afraid to leave the house after what happened last night. The thought of someone jumping me, or worse, was absolutely terrifying.

"Well, if you change your mind the invitation is still available," Veronica reassured, taking my shoulder.

"We have to go get some snacks. We'll see you Monday?" Kevin assumed.

"Of course," I gave a nod, standing up. I walked them out and locked the door behind them, putting my back against it. I pulled out the note that Jughead wrote and silently read it.

 

" _Dear Jingle,_

_Sorry that I ditched you without saying anything or waking you up. You looked so happy asleep, and I didn't want to ruin that. I thought that your weekend was already pretty much ruined, and I didn't want to worry you._

_I enjoyed our time together and I hope that it made your weekend a little better, and I hope your injuries heal._

_I'll talk to my dad about everything today, probably as you're reading this. I promise that you won't have to worry about the serpents again._

_Other than that, I wouldn't mind having another movie weekend with you. It felt just like old times._

_See you Monday._

**_-Forsythe Pendleton Jones III_** "

 

I laughed a little at his name. I always tried to forget his real name since it was never...  _him_.

After tearing up the note and throwing it in the trash to avoid my parents questioning this weekend, I placed the two hundred dollars back in the cupboard where it belonged. I made my way upstairs and took a shower, feeling the warm water hit my sore face. My cheek still had a bruise on it, and my lip was still cut. Once I stepped out of the shower, I put on a significant amount of makeup on my face to cover it all up. It may not be healthy, but I don't want my dad to be like Betty's dad; in jail.

Sure enough, after about two hours my doors burst open to my parents with their luggage.

"We're home!" My dad hollered from downstairs. I carefully walked down the steps in my fresh pajamas and found them both in the kitchen with two bags, one in my mom's hand and the other in my dads.

"We got souvenirs for you!" My mom sang happily, handing me her bag first.

I opened it to find a grey sweater with "LAS VEGAS" spread across it in bold crimson lettering.

"Sweet! I'll wear this for winter," I gave a toothy smile. I wasn't  _that_  excited for a sweater, but my mom loved my reaction when she gave me presents. I was grateful, believe me, but I was still not okay after what happened Friday.

My dad handed me his bag, and I ended up pulling out a leather journal. I looked at him in confusion.

"You said you were in the newspaper club, right? You have to write down your ideas and your facts," he told me in all seriousness

"It's a nice book," I admitted, feeling the cover for myself. "Thanks, guys."

My mom jumped into a hug first, and then my dad slowly walked into it. I nearly started crying, afraid for both of them. I didn't know if the serpents would hurt them or not, so I felt guilty that they were a potential target. I loved them so much.

I grabbed my things quickly and walked as fast as I could up the stairs.

Locking myself in my room, I cried for a solid ten minutes. I stuffed my face into my pillow, letting out all of my sobs into it.

I heard my cell phone ring, and found that it was Jughead calling me. I panicked, wiping my tears away. I cleared my throat as much as I could before hitting answer.\

"Hello?" I answered, my voice still slightly wavered.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" Jughead questioned.

"I'm alright. How about you?"

"Good. So I talked to my dad."

"And?" I questioned, sitting upright.

Jughead let out a short gentle laugh before assuring me. "He said he'll deal with it."

I let out a relieved sigh.

"Thank you."

Jughead and I chatted a little, mostly about what we had for homework and article ideas for the Blue and Gold.

We both hung up awkwardly, and my tears were gone. I sat on my bed at a complete loss, but I was smiling a little. Then the idea dawned on me.

_I like Jughead._


	16. Pressure

**Monday**

**Nov. 14th**

I hurriedly put on my cashmere sweater, rushing down the stairs and eagerly awaited Jughead. It was 6:58 A.M. and Jughead was  _always_  on time.

As predicted, I saw Jughead walking from a distance with his head down, hands stuffed in his pockets. He picked his head up, his eyebrows knitting together as if something was off.

"What?" I asked once he was within earshot.

Jug shrugged, saying: "Nothing. It's just that normally I'm the one that's early."

"Well, I had some spare time," I crossed my arms, darting my eyes away from his stare as I grinned.

Jughead and I began to walk to Pop's, making small talk—with the topics ranging from the weather to how well we slept.

"So uh... where did you sleep last night?"

He sighed, shaking his head and rubbing the back of his neck. "I never should've told you."

My eyes widened. "No! You should've!"

"I knew you would be worried about me," he scolded himself, huffing a little as he tensed up.

"Is that so wrong?"

He paused in thought. He fixed his beanie and said "No," slightly disappointed. "I don't know. I'm not used to anybody worrying about me. Even Betty never worried as much."

My pep toned down as I reflected on Jughead's life. "Well, get used to it."

"I'd rather not," he told me, brutally. "You're the last person that needs to be worrying about me. If anything, I should be worried about you."

"And you aren't?" I jokingly asked, looking over at him with a sly grin.

He scoffed, warming up to a smirk. "Well, I am," he admitted, looking over to me.

After going back and forth between topics, we made it to Pop's.

"Did your parents ever find out about the table?" He asked, eating his plain toasted bagel filled with cream cheese.

I shook my head proudly. "Not a word."

"That's good," he smiled a little. "You'd think your mom would notice since she's a detective."

I laughed, causing Jughead to laugh. My laughter immediately stopped once I heard the bells on the door jingle and I saw  _him_.

Derek walked in, looking messier than ever. His hair was ragged and a five o'clock shadow spread across his jaw. He looked like he had been dragged through a ditch. He cradled his cigarette between his fingers and took a short drag, slapping his money on the table as he pointed out a specific item on the menu. He seemed pale, as if he hadn't been outside in weeks when it had only just been days.

Jughead frowned upon recognizing him, and then looked at me. I was just a deer in the headlights. I couldn't believe that he and I were in the same room at the same time. I felt scared again, just like that rainy night as I saw his silhouette in front of the flash of lightning. I had to blink a few times to make sure it was him.

"Come here," Jughead whispered to me, even though he was right beside me.

I scooted closer to him, snapping out of my daze. He put his arm around me, resting his head on mine; my head rested on his shoulder.

I saw Derek take a double glance and Jughead and I with his bloodshot brown eyes. I started faking a laugh—a weak one— before kissing Jughead's cheek. I proceeded to whisper into Jughead's ear while looking at Derek.

"The joke is, I'm never gonna take him back. I don't want him jealous. I want him to suffer."

Derek huffed angrily upon seeing us. Pop's gave him a cup of coffee, which he snatched right up and slammed the door open with a rough shove. The bells jingled violently before he was gone as quickly as he came.

I returned to my original spot, a small distance away from him and sat up straight. Jughead's ears and cheeks were bright red.

"Thanks for that," I anxiously laughed. "I hope you didn't mind me taking it a step further."

He quickly shook his head. "Not at all," he gave a light sheepish laugh. Quickly, he changed the topic after clearing his throat. "We should go. We might be late to school."

I took a couple of last bites of my blueberry pancakes and then stood up, tossing my money on the counter per usual.

Jughead and I left Pop's and walked to school. As soon as we got there, the bell rang.

 

* * *

During all of first period, I stared at Catherine. I didn't mean to come off as a creep, but she was like a beautiful work of art that had several meanings, depending on the person.

That was the thing. I didn't know what she meant to me, which was exactly why I was staring.

Yes, I liked Catherine a lot, but did she like me?

That was the question that lingered in my mind as I hopelessly stared. I doubted ever having a chance with her. I was weird.

Not only was I weird, but I had the spine of a worm. I was an outcast, a loser, a shrimp in the great sea. Why would she ever want to date me?

Lunch rolled around, and I was at the table with our circle. Catherine eagerly talked about some pictures she took and went into detail about her editing. I listened of course, but I was mesmerized by her lips moving, her blue eyes looking at everyone dead in the eye.

Archie nudged me, and I snapped out of my daze. He just grinned at me, before continuing to listen to what she was saying.

After school, I had finished walking Catherine home. We planned on meeting each other at Pop's later on with Betty, Veronica, and Archie.

Although that was the plan, Archie invited me over to his place for video games. I agreed, knowing I had nothing else to do but my novel, which could wait.

I walked over to his house, knocking on his door like every other night I had. Fred opened the door and simply sighed: "Upstairs," knowing why I was there.

"Hello to you too, Mr. Andrews," I replied, lightly joking around.

He scoffed with a hint of laughter. "Sorry, Jug. It's been a long day."

"Tell me about it. School is a drag," I looked back at him, grinning.

"I  _wish_ I was back at school."

That ended the conversation, and I was already up the stairs. I opened the door to find Archie on his bed and texting on his phone. He looked over to see me and quickly sat up.

"Dude. I think we need to talk."

"About?" I questioned, dropping my bag.

"Catherine."

I grew tense, now intrigued by the topic. I wasn't going to show how intrigued I was, so I played it off.

"Catherine? What about her?" I looked at him with a small smile, trying to play off the idea.

"She's just so... amazing. Right?" Archie gushed over her with childlike eyes filled with wonder.

I sighed and nodded, assuming that Archie liked her.

"Dude. Like, she's so pretty too! I know she just got out of a breakup, but wow. Just how she talks and-"

"Just say it," I snapped, gripping my fists. "You like her."

Archie just smiled at me and said: "No. But you do."

I quickly calmed myself and said: "No. I don't." I sat in the chair in front of his TV, starting his PS4.

"Are you kidding? You stayed at her house this whole weekend!" Archie walked over and turned off the PS4.

I realized at that moment that I had just gotten ambushed.

"Did you seriously just lure me into your house with video games to talk to me about crushes?" I asked, slightly offended that I was so easy.

"C'mon, Jug. What happened at her house? Don't leave any details out, unless, you know. Wait. Did you?" Archie asked, leaning forward, like an eager schoolgirl.

"What?! No! We just watched movies. I mean- well..." I debated to kiss and tell.

"What?" Archie pushed.

"We did almost kiss," I told him. "But she's fresh out of a relationship, dude. She was probably just...  _emotional_."

"Girls aren't stupid. Val taught me that," Archie patted my shoulder. "Why didn't you guys kiss?"

"Betty and Veronica knocked at the door," I sighed. "It was God telling me to quit while I was ahead."

"No, man. She likes you! Hell, she's probably always liked you! I mean, you've always liked her. I'll never forget the day she left. You were upset for a whole week straight and you didn't talk to  _anybody_ ," Archie reminded me.

I scoffed, saying "Yeah, and then my life went to hell. I mean, it has always been bad but it got worse when she was gone. My parents fought more, got divorced, Jelly and I were separated..." I blinked a few times, before furrowing my brows. "Now she's back, and I don't know how I feel."

Archie sighed and put his hand on my shoulder. "Bro. If you don't ask her out, I will."

I looked at Archie to see that he was being serious. "You're not... really, are you?"

"I meant it when I said she was beautiful and amazing," Archie told me with a straight face.

I threw my head back, feeling the pressure. "How do I ask her?!" I groaned.

"Easy. Have her go to Pop's and ask her. I'll tell Betty and Veronica that plans got canceled," Archie instructed.

I nodded, taking his plan with a grain of salt. "Okay, but how do I...  _tell_  her?"

Archie shrugged. "Just let it happen."

"That's the complete opposite of me," I glared at him.

Archie just smiled. "Just say that you've liked her since you first laid eyes on her and want to date her."

"Wow! That's so easy!" I sarcastically beamed.

"Well you did it with Betty, right?" Archie mentioned, running his hands through his hair.

"No! I just kissed her. It's not like me," I told Archie in defense.

Archie gave me a glare before he got up and turned the PS4 back on.

"Whatever, dude. I'm asking her tomorrow at lunch," Archie told me.

I was silently panicking as we played, anticipating having to go to Pop's to "confess my profound love to my friend of countless years" in a mere few hours.

I didn't know how I was going to pull this all off, but I don't want to lose her to Archie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! Their relationship is going somewhere!!! :) For once, thanks Archie!


	17. You Came Back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys like the small throwback to the prologue ;)

**Tuesday**

**Nov. 15th**

I sat in a booth at Pop's, waiting for Jughead to arrive. Archie, Betty, and Veronica texted saying that they were bailing out on our plans. I expected Jughead to text me the same, but he actually arrived. He brought his laptop. Whenever the gang would hang out, most of the time Jughead would focus on his novel, his fingers tapping the keys rapidly.

"Hey," I smiled at him as he approached the booth.

"Hey," he said, taking a seat beside me. "Remember when you wanted to read my novel but I couldn't show you?"

I thought about it for a moment, and then it clicked. "Yeah! Can I read it now?" I asked, eager.

He looked at his laptop and took in a deep breath, saying: "Yeah."

"I bet it's great," I assured him, watching as he pulled up his novel. He then turned the screen to me and I read a section. Oddly enough, it was about me. Suddenly my expression went from a smile to a stern stare.

"It was a regular day at Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe, or so I had thought.

My day was like any other day. I went to school, then I went to Pop's and worked on my novel. Archie stopped by and had asked Betty to come over. It was average.

Betty came, of course. However, that wasn't the only person who came.

I saw  _her_  again.

Her long brown curls rested upon her shoulders as she couldn't stop smiling. I knew it was her by her freckles, perfectly placed across her cheeks and on her nose; and her river blue eyes that I could never tire of swimming in.

I could tell that she had driven a long way by her comfortable outfit of a gray sweater, yoga pants, and her smudged makeup on her left eye.

I wanted to know everything about her. Where did she go? Why did she leave? Why was she back? And most of all, who is she?

Catherine Bell. I already know that.

I know her identity all too well, but people change, unfortunately. I know I have since I was eight.

Her laugh was like the coffee to my morning, and I wanted more of it.

I wanted more of her.

 _Catherine._ "

I quietly pulled the laptop closer, reading about a chapter's worth about me. He talked about my introduction, but he focused so much on my personality and how much he adored me. I read about what he truly thought when he stayed over at my house after Derek happened. 

"Our hearts grew closer along without mouths, her lips roping me in and pulling hard. I watched as her eyes nearly closed, her cheeks flourished, and her mouth part. I had been waiting years for this moment, and I was finally worthy of her supple touch until god himself interrupted. The door knocked, and we scrambled to situate ourselves. I couldn't tell how she felt, whether she was relieved that we didn't kiss, or regretful that we didn't. Either way, the moment was still promising."

I got to the most recent part, where he described looking at my lips. That was merely a few hours ago. I thoroughly enjoyed reading these intimate moments that seemed so minuscule to me at the moment.

Once I caught up, I turned and looked at him in disbelief.

"You've liked me since first grade and you didn't tell me?" I softly spoke, almost offended.

Jughead shrugged, struggling to speak. "Well I just- I mean- I wasn't really- Uh, I'm not-"

I took his face and shut him up with a long and gentle kiss. The second I pulled away, he brought me right back into another. His lips were slightly dry at first from the impromptu kiss, but were soon nourished to life after my lip balm rubbed off on him. We closed our eyes, our noses crashing into each other, breathing harsh, not caring about who was staring for a moment in time. His hands were brought up to the sides of my head, gently grasping at my hair for more. The feeling was euphoric, more-so cathartic, magical, enchanting, and everything else amazing.

Once we separated, we stared at each other with shock. I finally said, nearly breathless, "I'm so sorry I kept you waiting all these years. I'm also sorry that I left Riverdale when you needed me the most."

"Well, you came back for me. Didn't you?" he said, leaning in to kiss me again, which I happily obliged. The kiss was much more brief, but still as sweet. "You can make up for lost time in the next couple of years."

He moved onto my cheek, my neck, and then giving one last kiss on my lips.

I let him put his arm around me, and I went back to the beginning of his novel, correcting some areas and telling him the parts I liked. After about thirty minutes of reading, I pushed the laptop towards Jughead.

"You're really good at writing, Juggy," I complimented. "Do you think you'll ever major as a novelist?"

He scoffed, saying "People still major in that?"

I smiled, looking up to him. "Journalism?"

"No offense, but it's a dying industry," he told me, knowing my father was in that line of work. "I don't know what I'll do, but I'll survive."

I glanced out the window of the booth. The sun was dripping into the vast colors of the sky. I was so happy here that I didn't care about dinner. The tranquility of the moment quickly ended when thoughts flooded my mind.

"How are we going to tell everyone about us?" I looked at him, a little concerned. It was easy to tell everyone about Derek since it was such a heat of the moment, but Jughead was much more. We were a kindling fire that had finally found our flare.

"Archie already knows, sorta. He actually helped me grow the balls to ask you out," Jughead smiled a little, leaning in for another kiss.

I leaned away, looking at his lips and then his eyes."You didn't though."

"Didn't what?"

"You never officially asked me out," I crossed my arms, grinning playfully.

He laughed under his breath, looking away. Turning back to me, he said with utmost sincerely "Catherine Bell. Will you go out with me?"

I paused for a moment, before saying "Nah."

Jughead laughed, but he sounded a little nervous. I looked up at him, holding his hand tightly. "Of course it's a yes. I'm just messing with you."

"Okay. Good," he sighed in relief. "Now we can talk about how we're going to tell our friends about our hidden romance."

"Oh god," I face-palmed, giggling to myself. "The other day, Betty, Veronica, and Kevin asked if we were together. I think everyone wants us together."

"I guess they got what they wanted," he said, squeezing me closer to him.

I smiled, thinking back to the moment. I remembered Betty giving a wavering smile as they talked about me and Jughead possibly being end-game. I suddenly felt my stomach swirl, worried for my friend.

"Sorry if this is awkward, or wrong timing, but how did you and Betty even break up?"

I heard him take a deep breath before exhaling. "It's a long story, but in short, we were just different. She was a cheerleader. I'm just... a weirdo. The chemistry just didn't work out."

"And us?"

Jughead smiled a little and assured me. "I don't know how long you've liked me, and I don't want to know. But I think that we've always just  _clicked_  with each other."

I wrapped my arms around his waist and said "This whole time I wanted to be as good of friends as we used to, but little did I know that we would be  _this_  close. It's... amazing."

"It is," he agreed, hugging me back.

Be both stayed there for a moment, thinking. I still couldn't grasp the fact that Jughead was my  _boyfriend_.

After chatting and laughing at each other, we decided that we should leave Pop's.

As we walked, I couldn't help but to ask Jughead the one question he didn't want me to ask.

"So, where are you sleeping tonight?"

He sighed before saying: "You're not still worrying about that, are you?" rolling his eyes.

"I know you'll be okay. I was just wondering," I told him, acting like I wasn't  _that_  worried, when in fact I was.

He shrugged. "Maybe Archie's. Maybe the school."

"Maybe my house?"

He widened his eyes at me. "I'm meeting your parents so soon?"

"I met your dad already, didn't I?" I reminded him. "Besides. My mom is home tonight and my dad is coming home late. My mom is still pretty laid back."

He thought about it as we walked.

"I have video games," I persuaded, nudging him with my elbow as my hands were in my pockets.

He laughed a little. "Since when did you play video games?"

"Since Oregon. I haven't played any in awhile."

He smirked and said: "We really do click, huh?"

I blushed a little and looked at the sky, observing the stars. Silence filled the air as Jughead debated in his mind. I wouldn't be upset if Jughead declined, but I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't be worried.

"Alright. If your parents don't want me to stay, don't push it. I'm not worth causing an argument over," he placed his hand on my shoulder.

I was more excited than earlier, which I never thought was possible. We walked home to find my mom cooking dinner.

"Hey honey," she said, without turning her back.

"Hey, Mom. Can Jughead stay the night?" I immediately asked.

"Who's Jughead again?"

Jughead gave a playful grin, looking at me and then my mom."I'm Jughead."

My mom jumped and turned around to us, seeming embarrassed.

"Oh! Right. I'm so sorry," she nervously laughed. "Uh... so what brings you to the Bell house?"

I was humiliated. No one ever called our house "The Bell House." What was my mom thinking?

Nevertheless, Jughead and I exchanged glances, and I could tell he didn't want her to know about our "forbidden romance." I couldn't blame him. I'd rather tell my mom in private anyways to avoid being teased about it.

"Just a sleepover. We never get a chance to hang out like we used to," I explained, patting his back.

"Sure," my mom agreed. "Leave your door open later, though. You know how dad is."

I nodded, unable to stop smiling. Jughead and I ran upstairs into my room. He looked around, remembering how my room looked from moving in a few weeks ago.

"Where am I sleeping again?" He asked, looking at me with a smirk.

"I'll blow up an air mattress. As much as I would  _love_  to sleep with you, my dad will literally murder us," I warned him.

"Right. Your dad. I'll have to meet him, won't I?" He gave a concerned stare.

I nodded, remembering my dad's distaste for Jughead when he brought up the whole elementary fire thing about a month or two ago. Jughead only knew my dad from our childhood, but people change.

I started my Xbox One and handed him the controller. Meanwhile, I went to my laptop and edited photos. We were both mute for about thirty minutes. My mom knocked on the door frame, cautious of entering. She probably expected us to be making out on the bed or something. My parents always forget that it's 2017, not the 1970's.

"Did you kids eat yet?" She sweetly asked.

"No, actually," I told her. "Why? Are you gonna cook something?"

She grinned and said with excitement, "Well, I was thinking of making mac and cheese with some pork chops."

I glanced over at Jughead who was still glued to the TV.

"That sounds good, right Juggy?" I questioned, knowing he would give me a thoughtless answer.

"Yeah."

My mom and I exchanged glances, smiling and rolling our eyes. She left and I returned to my editing.

An hour passed, and Jughead finally turned off the Xbox, shuffling over to me on his knees.

"You always talk about your pictures but I haven't seen one," he told me, more like a complaint. He grabbed the back of my chair for stabilization.

I smiled a little, glad that he was even interested in my works. One thing I admired about Jughead was the fact that he wasn't so fragile about his masculinity, mostly because he was confident that it was there. He wasn't afraid to show interest in what I'm doing, no matter what it was. I smiled at him, grateful.

"Let me start from the beginning of my portfolio."

I clicked on my file, which had my proudest works. Once I clicked on the first picture, I passed him the keyboard and mouse. He took control and went through each photo. Some of them were self-portraits and others were nature shots, and some were just pure photoshop.

"Wow," he said, almost breathless. His eyes were wide as he looked at each photo. "You're really good at this."

"Yeah, well. After Claire died I had to take my mind off of her. It was my pastime in Oregon and I taught myself photography things, like the rule of thirds, editing, shutter speed, all that shit," I shrugged, remembering Claire. "I still miss her. If only I had more pictures of her..."

"Of course you miss her," he put his hand on my back. "But you need to stop dwelling on the if's."

I nodded, holding back my tears the best I could. I could see the water rise in my vision as I desperately tried to blink them away.

Without skipping a beat, Jughead got up and hugged me, letting me cry on his shoulder like last weekend. I gripped his shirt tightly and tried to calm myself, but each time he quietly said: "it's alright" I would let a sob burst out.

Eventually, after five minutes I calmed down. Once I pulled my face away from his shirt I saw that I had left tear stains on it.

"Oh my god," I laughed a little, wiping my tears away. "I'm so sorry."

He looked down at his shirt and said: "What? This? Don't worry about it. It's just water. You needed that."

"I did," I agreed. "Thank you."

Without having a moment to officially calm down, my mom shouted from downstairs that dinner was ready. I stood up and almost left the room, but Jughead took my arm and gently pulled me back into a long kiss. Before we parted, he wiped the last tear from my cheek with his thumb.

"Let me know whenever you need a cry, even if I'm not there."

I smiled and nodded, pulling him into another quick kiss. I took his hand and guided him downstairs. We immediately let go once we saw my dad at the table reading the newspaper.

"Hey, Dad," I smiled, more-so scared than happy. "This is-"

"Jughead," he peeked up from his paper. He folded it and set it to the side. "Nice to meet you again."

"You too, sir," Jughead walked over and gave him a firm handshake. My dad nodded in approval and let him go.

My mom set down our meals on the table, and I could tell that Jughead felt uncomfortable. I sat across from him, and my mom sat across from my dad.

Jughead stuck his fork in the Mac and cheese, taking a bite.

"What are you doing?! We have to say grace!" My dad scolded.

Jughead nearly choked on his mac and cheese before saying "I didn't know. I'm-"

My mom laughed and said "He's only kidding Jughead. Go on. Eat," egging him on.

Jughead just gave a nervous laugh, continuing his meal. I rolled my eyes at my dad, a little upset that he was already giving my boyfriend a tough time.

My dad cleared his throat a little. "So, Jughead. How's school going for you?"

"It's okay," he shrugged.

"I've been studying with him at Pop's in the mornings," I lied.

Jughead nodded, chewing his food. "My grades are higher than they were before."

"What are they now?" My mom asked.

"Mostly B's and one C in math," Jughead said. I wasn't sure if he was telling the truth or not, but it didn't matter anyway.

"Not bad," my dad nodded in approval. "Maybe you can get some A's in there soon."

"I'm working on it," Jughead nodded. He quickly changed the subject. "So you work for the paper, right?"

"That's right."

"Do you have any tips?" Jughead questioned.

"Dad, I told you that Jug and I run the Blue and Gold, right?" I glanced over at him.

He nodded. "Right, right."

Jughead hit the goldmine of the conversation. My dad talked and talked about what it's like to be a journalist and gave some helpful tips for the two of us. It was easily talked about the whole dinner, which allowed us to spare any more awkward interrogation.

Once all of us finished, my mom collected the plates and Jughead and I scurried upstairs and into my room.

"Do you think he likes me?" Jughead quietly asked, actually worried.

I laughed a little at how cute he was being. "Juggy. You got him to rant and rave about journalism the rest of the dinner. I'd call that a win."

He was quickly relieved. Not a second later, my mom burst in with the air mattress. "I hope this damn thing fits in here."

Jughead and I stepped aside, allowing my mom to blow up the mattress after moving my bed to the wall. Thankfully, it fit, but barely. She grabbed three pillows, a pair of sheets, and a blanket for Jughead to sleep on.

"Is that good enough?" My mom asked, worried that it wasn't.

"No, no. It's perfect actually," Jughead said, grateful. Having all of that must seem like heaven compared to a janitors closet in a school. How did he ever do that?

My mom smiled at him, and then looked at me. "Don't go to bed too late."

I gave a thumbs up, and let my mom leave. She closed the door, oddly enough. I hope my dad doesn't find out about that.

"Well, they trust us since the door is closed," I looked over to him.

"Your parents are awesome," he praised. "I haven't met any parents that go out of their way like that."

I shrugged. "They are great. Problematic sometimes, but I could have had worse."

We both got ready for bed. He went into the bathroom while I changed in the bedroom. I spritzed myself with my favorite perfume and wore matching pajamas. It was a gray top with matching shorts, to make me look like I had my life in order.

Jughead knocked on the door and I opened it, finding that he wore his "S" tee with plaid pajama pants.

He stepped in and took a whiff. "It smells nice in here."

I shrugged, acting like I had nothing to do with it.

"Can I try something?" I asked.

"Uh, sure?" He agreed, a little hesitant.

I slowly reached to his head, slipping off his beanie. Then, I placed it on my own head.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do this," I told him, excitedly.

"It's the simple things I guess," he said, flopping on the air mattress.

I took off his beanie and placed it on my desk for the morning. "I was afraid to see you without it, but you look cute either way."

"It's a miracle," he rolled his eyes, being his sarcastic self.

"Now I need to try something else," I told him. I grabbed my phone and turned off the room light. I then turned on my flashlight, walking over to my bed. "Don't be weirded out," I told him.

"Alright," he sighed, ready for anything at this point.

I laid on the edge of my bed, running my fingers through his thick dark hair.

"I don't mind this," he smiled a little. "My hair's kinda dirty though."

"It's fine. I can't tell," I assured, continuing to rub his head.

I did that until I heard him snoring, and also when my eyes started forcing themselves shut.

Smiling to myself, I remembered that this would mark the first night of being Jughead's girlfriend.


	18. Behind Closed Doors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have literally been dead the past two days because I got my wisdom teeth out, but I hope your all enjoying well deserved Jughead and Catherine ;)

**Wednesday**

**Nov. 16th**

I awoke to feel someone hold my hand. I peeked open my eyes to find Jughead awake, on his phone. He was scrolling down some sort of social media feed.

I smiled and tiredly laughed. "You're such a sap," I teased.

I looked over to see that the sun had barely risen. I looked back at Jug and said "You know, we don't have to be up yet. My moms probably going to make us breakfast."

"Oh well," he shrugged. "Go back to sleep then."

"What about you?" I sat up a little, not wanting to leave him alone.

"I'll go back to sleep eventually," he assured, then looking at me. He smiled a little and said "Go! I'll be alright."

I sighed, diving my face back down into my pillow. I left my arm dangling off my bed, and Jughead and I kept holding hands.

I woke up to my alarm, which was immediately turned off. I ended up falling back asleep once again.

Eventually, I awoke to kisses being gently and lovingly placed on my face. Jughead was leaning over me, kissing my forehead and cheek.

"Morning, again," I laughed, trying to get ahold of his face. I pressed our noses together, and he gave a calm smile.

"You mom came in not too long ago. We need to get ready," he explained, pulling away from our bubble.

"Wait," I abruptly said. He froze, and I reached my arms up to the ceiling. "Help me up?"

Jughead took my hands and easily sat me upwards. I climbed out of bed and tested out my ankle to make sure it didn't hurt as much.

"How is it?" He asked, watching me carefully.

I stood up, smiling at him. "Better than Friday."

"Good."

We both walked downstairs to find that my mom was the only one downstairs cooking. She looked over her shoulder and seemed excited to see us.

"Oh, good! Breakfast is  _just_  ready," she moved around the eggs in the pan.

"Smells good, Mrs. Bell," Jughead complimented, sitting down at the table. I sat beside him instead of across.

I gazed at Jughead, who had seemed to zone out. I couldn't blame him since it was early in the morning, so I didn't bother him. It gave me an opportunity to appreciate his features. I gazed at his curly dark hair and slightly pointed nose, his eyes wandering around as his hand pressed against his chubby cheek. I was in awe.

Snapping me out of my own thoughts, my mom brought over our plates of eggs benedict. The sauce oozed down the over easy yolk and the English muffin.

"What is this?" Jughead asked me quietly, intimidated by the golden meal.

"The best breakfast you'll ever eat," I gave a confident smile.

Sure enough, he devoured the meal, scooping all of the sauce off the plate and making sure the plate was clean. I did the same, but Jughead was much faster than I.

I checked the time and reminded Jughead that we had to get ready. We ran upstairs and ran through our own morning routine. For Jughead, all he had to do was brush his teeth, put on his clothes, beanie, and some deodorant. I took much longer than Juggy, so he watched me. I had already put on my sweater, jeans, and fixed my hair. All he had to do was watch me as I put on my makeup.

"You do this  _every_ morning?" He questioned, confused at the concept.

"Yup," I nodded a little, carefully applying my eyeshadow.

"Why? You look nice without it," he told me.

I smiled a little. "I know. It just makes me feel good. It changes my face up a bit. Something new," I explained to him.

He understood that I wore makeup because I could, not because I needed to.

We darted downstairs after I finished up and left my house, saying bye to my mom.

As we walked down the road, he had his arm around my shoulders, mine around his waist. This was nice, compared to being a few feet apart.

We skipped Pop's for the first time and went directly to school. As we approached, he pulled his arm away from me. I looked at him, confused.

"What's wrong?" I immediately asked.

"Nothing," he assured. "I just don't want you to get teased."

I smiled a little. "Juggy. Do you think I care if I'm teased?"

"Well, I care," he shrugged. "I also would prefer if we kept our affairs under the radar with the gang. Just for the first couple of days."

"Now  _that_ I can get behind," I agreed. "Just the first week though. Then we gotta break it to them."

"Okay. It's a plan."

We both briefly kissed and acted as though nothing happened the past two days.

Walking through the halls, things didn't seem much different. All of my classes felt the same. Then lunch came around.

We sat at the table, as usual, but Archie was in Jughead's spot. Then Betty was in Archies spot, and this continued until it was me and Jughead sitting next together.

Jughead approached the table and found his best friend in his seat.

"What are you doing?" Jughead asked, a bit annoyed.

Archie looked up to find Jughead, standing impatiently with his bag of lunch. "Oh, sorry dude. Betty took my seat," Archie blamed.

"My seat is taken too," Betty gave a false smile, glancing at Kevin.

"I don't know," Kevin shrugged, seeming clueless.

Jughead sighed and walked over to sit next to me. The whole table practically stared us down, examining our every move. Jughead and I had the spotlight on us as we ate our food quietly.

"So, what did you do yesterday?" Archie asked Jughead.

"Nothing," Jughead sighed, pulling out his phone. He held it underneath the table and began texting. I glanced once, making sure I wouldn't bring any attention.

Betty and Veronica began a conversation with each other when my phone vibrated in my pants. I pulled it out to see Jughead texting me.

**Juggy**


	19. Security

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FP is one of my favs... ok continue

**Thursday**

**Nov. 17th**

I woke up, cradled in Jughead's arms. It still felt somewhat strange sleeping next to someone who I've been best friends with for years. Then again, we used to when we were young so I guess it's not much of a change.

I watched as his chest rose and fell, which was not as entertaining compared to looking at his face. His lips were slightly parted, his front teeth barely peeking out as he breathed loudly; the edge of a snore. I looked at his freckles, big and small, perfectly placed upon his skin. Finally, I stared at the hair. What particularly caught my eye was that one dark curl that never failed to hold its place on Jughead's forehead. I even tried moving it but it continued to stay put, as it should.

Staring at him was serenity, and I could never tire of it.

In the blink of an eye, he was awake. His eyes stared at the roof for a brief second until they rolled over to me.

"Morning," I greeted him, placing my hand lightly on his chest.

He smiled at me, also saying: "Morning to you too," before he leaned over and placed a soft kiss on my lips. Once we parted, I reached for my phone to check the time. It was five minutes until my alarm was about to go off to school.

Jughead took my phone and set it down.

"We have more time," he said, pulling me closer.

As fall slowly turned into winter, my room continued to grow colder and colder. Jughead was the perfect remedy for a crisp autumn day, wrapping me up and kissing me all over, sometimes tickling me until I break into laughter.

My alarm went off, and my mom immediately shouted

" _KIDS! WAKE UP!_ "

It was tragic having to leave the one moment I was the happiest. Especially if it's the happiest I had been in the past couple of years.

We both went through our routines, went to school, and within a blink of an eye we were already walking home. Except we weren't exactly walking home. We were walking to the Whyte Wyrm bar, where all the serpents usually hung.

I pulled my sleeves up to my palm and clutched them as tight as I could, anxious about being in a tough place like that.

Jughead put his arm around me, making me jolt.

"Do you want to stay home and have me come back later?" He offered, noticing how tense I was about the whole situation.

I immediately shook my head in protest. "I'm fine." I took a deep breath. "I am. I just need to know that I don't have to worry about  _him_."

"You don't," he assured, holding me closer. "Plus, the guys aren't all that bad. As long as they know you're with me, you're smooth sailing from here on out."

"Then why didn't you want me to interview them alone a while ago?" I asked him, looking over to him with a smile.

"Well, how would you feel if you were in a gang and you saw a pretty teenage girl wanting to know about your life story. I was just a fallback if anything went wrong," Jughead explained. "Plus, I wanted an excuse to be with you."

I hit his shoulder, laughing a little. "You're such a flirt."

He shrugged, giving me a coy grin.

We were then faced with the bar, the Whyte Wyrm. It was beginning to grow dark out because of the transition to winter. The sun seemed to shy away earlier than usual. Steam or hot hair was emerging from the side of the building. The bar itself almost looked like a shack by the metal wall on the exterior, but the number of bikes outside showed that there was much more inside. I looked at the neon sign that showed a snake ー a staple for their territory, or a warning to not enter.

We walked inside to find eyes immediately on us. The atmosphere was dark, and I immediately felt claustrophobic and uneasy. Jughead held me closer, making sure I felt safe. 

The lights were dim, and the men and few women spoke loudly over the jumping music of the jukebox. The walls were crowded with pictures and memorabilia and neon lights. I looked over to find a glass encasing filled with snakes, giving me shivers down my spine. I looked the other way as Jughead took my hand and guided me further into the room to see various members playing pool and gambling.

"Have you seen my dad, Roger?" Jug asked one of the gang members. He was a man in his thirties with hair slicked back with grease and a rat tail.

"Uhm... hmm..." he thought for a little bit. "Upstairs?"

"Ah! Jughead," F.P. walked downstairs openly, smiling at his son. His hand was lightly touching the wooden railings, the steps creaking below his feet as the room quieted down slightly. His eyes wandered over to me and gave a gentle smile. "Catherine Bell. Sorry that we left each other in a rush a few days ago," he apologized, stepping towards Jughead and me. 

"It's alright," I assured with a sweet tone, looking at Jughead, awaiting his explanation for our sudden appearance.

Jughead cleared his throat. "Can we speak in private... you, me, and Catherine?"

"'Course son," F.P. nodded, before signaling us to head for the stairs.

We walked up the stairway quietly. I looked over briefly to see all of them looking at Jughead and I. Maybe they were only looking at me as if I was a hunk of meat, and they were starving hounds. We entered a small office like room.

The room was much more secluded compared to the main area of the bar. We heard the music thumping outside along with jumbled shouts, of course. The office was cleaner, with fewer pictures on the walls and old books sitting in bookshelves, oddly enough.

"What's going on? It's obviously important since you bothered to even come here," F.P. asked, cracking open a beer bottle before sitting in an old chair. He spat out the sunflower seed he was tossing around in his mouth before taking a swig. 

I looked at Jughead, not knowing what to say.

"I need you to do me a favor... Dad," Jughead firmly spoke, feeling a bit uncomfortable calling him dad.

His father narrowed his eyes at both of us, seeming confused. Jughead continued.

"Do you remember Derek?" 

"Derek Johnson? 'Course. Kid hates my guts. He and a couple of other guys walked out of the serpents. Why?" F.P. asked, laughing at the fact that they left. As if they had the  _nerve_.

Jughead looked at me with concern, while I stared at him, eyes wide with fear. I then turned to F.P.

"What do you mean he walked out? Like, he's not a serpent anymore?!" I questioned, my voice trembling in shock.

F.P. nodded. "Why? Did he stir up some trouble?" He sat up slightly, leaning forward in interest.

Jughead looked at me, and I hesitated a little. "Tell him," Jughead told me, nodding over to his dad.

I looked down at the floor, taking a hard swallow. "Well, Derek and I dated for like, a few weeks a-and we broke up, but he really hurt me." I looked at F.P. seeing that he was still listening. "Physically," I added.

F.P. looked at Jughead. "Where do you come into all of this?"

"Because I found her bleeding with a sprained ankle and a couple of bruises," Jughead expressed, seeming visibly bothered even saying it.

F.P. gave me a different look, much more somber. "I'm sorry that happened, Cathy."

I just nodded, looking down again. I hated talking about the event too, mostly since it haunts me every day.

"He also threatened her, after the fact. I was there and he threw a rock at her door. There was a letter that told her to watch out or something like that. We just want to know that if anything happens, will you and the guys have our packs?" Jughead asked his dad. He stepped forward, pulling out the crumpled threat and handing it to his father, who barely read it. He didn't need to.

F.P. was quick to step up as a father, saying "Yeah! 'Course. Let me know if he does anything that's even close to a threat. Both of you," he looked at me, making sure I didn't feel left out.

"Thank you, F.P," I gave a smile and a nod, relieved that I at least had some protection.

"You mind givin' me and Jughead a hot minute? The fellas downstairs won't hurt you, as intimidating as they are," F.P. smirked at me with a wink.

I gave a nod, quick to leave the room. I looked at Jughead as I closed the door behind me. He gave me an assured nod before the door shut. 

Immediately, I stood beside the door and listened closely.

"What were you doing at her place that night?" F.P. asked, sounding a bit confrontational.

"She texted me, so I came. I ended up staying and took care of her for three days," Jughead explained himself. "Why?"

"Three days?" F.P. exclaimed, sounding proud. I could practically hear the smile in his voice "Jughead. You're a player like your old man."

Jughead back peddled. "What? No! We weren't dating then."

"So you two are dating now? What about that Cooper girl?"

"That's been over for two months now, Dad. I've liked Catherine since... well... since I met her," he confessed to his dad.

There was silence, and my stomach turned.

"Protect that girl, Jughead. If anything is out of your hands when it comes to that Derek boy, get me."

There was silence again before I heard a quiet "Yes, Dad."

I heard footsteps approach the door, so I moved away from the door a little more. Jughead stepped out and flashed a smile at me.

"Everything went well?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Better than well. You're covered," Jughead assured me, putting his arm around me. We walked downstairs, observing the men shouting at the eventful game of darts.

We left the intense building, finally able to get some air.

"What now?" I asked. "What do you want to do?"

"Pop's?" He asked me. "I get my laptop, you get yours, and we chat over some shakes?"

I rested my head on his shoulder, grinning at the thought. "Sounds like a plan."


	20. Reveal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We love a man who can flaunt AND support his girlfriend <3

**Friday**

**Nov. 18th**

Waking up with Jughead had been comforting, and I always woke up just shy a few minutes before he did. We got ready and head out the door, holding hands and talking as usual.

Although it had been an absolute blessing being with Jughead consistently, I felt a little tired of it. I loved Jug, but I needed some personal time for myself. I didn't want to kick him out of my house because I didn't want him on the streets, but I would go nuts in a day or two if I didn't get some alone time.

As Jug and I walked to school, I held his arm and said: "I think it's time we told the gang about us."

I looked up at him to see that he was already hesitant. "I guess," he gave in. "I like how everything is right now, though. We don't have to worry about people acting differently around us."

"Yeah, but they're our  _friends_. I wouldn't feel right hiding it from them. Plus, I don't want to hide forever," I expressed, squeezing his hand a little.

"We're not hiding. We're just staying private," he excused, looking down at me, the corner of his mouth turning up ever so slightly.

I frowned a little. "I don't know. It just feels like... I don't know. Never mind." I shook my head, embarrassed.

"No, what?" He asked, seemingly concerned by my change in tone.

I shrugged a little, looking down. "It feels like you don't want to be seen with me in that way. Like you don't want to flaunt me."

Jughead scoffed a little, thinking I was joking around. He quickly saw that I wasn't. He stopped us in the middle of the sidewalk, similar to the other day.

"Jingle. I love you, okay? I'd put you on a podium in front of the whole school if I could. Trust me on this," he told me.

I grew the strength to smile at him, taking both of his hands and pulling him towards me. "Come on. We'll be late," I changed the topic, leaving the conversation open for later.

We got to school, and climbed the steps, passing by all of the students. Some turned and stared at both Jughead and me, having shocked expressions as they whispered amongst themselves. I was confused, thinking that something happened that involved one of us.

Then I realized it was about the both of us.

Jughead kept his arm around my shoulder, smiling, content for once. I grinned, glad he had a change of heart. I put my arm around his waist and confidently strode down the halls with him until we reached our locker.

Veronica walked up to the two of us and took my shoulder.

"Hey, Cath. Betty and I were planning on going out to get a facial. My treat~!" She sang a little, jumping slightly in excitement.

"Yeah! When?"

"After school today. This cold weather is taking a dastardly toll on my skin," she touched her cheeks.

The bell rang and I closed my locker. Jughead put his hand on my lower back, pulling me close to him and giving me a passionate kiss, hard yet supple. My eyes were wide, staring at him with both confusion and surprise.

"B-but we're going to the same class?" I questioned him, barely able to speak.

He grinned and said: "I know," cooly. He put his arm around me and glanced at Veronica. "Bye V," waving at her a little before stealing me away. Veronica also looked shocked and confused, trying to gather what just happened.

I gave Juggy a side hug, sweetly saying: "Thank you."

"Anything for you, babe."

After my first couple of classes, I joined Jughead in walking me to lunch, where Veronica seemed to be gossiping rapidly.

She looked over to us and quickly closed her mouth, making it even more obvious that she was talking about me and Jug's relationship. We got to the table and were watched closely. Jughead and I sat beside each other, and I quietly opened my wrapped sandwich my mom made for me this morning.

Jughead unwrapped the sandwich that my mom also made for him. The table was dead silent as everyone just... watched.

Archie cleared his throat. "So uh, you two have anything to uh... say?"

Jughead and I looked at each other, before shaking our heads.

"Can't think of it," I said.

Jughead shrugged. "Me either."

"Oh come on!" Veronica burst with excitement. "They already know about your budding romance. Please! Spill everything! Tell us how the stars aligned to bring you two together!"

"Have you guys kissed yet?" Kevin asked, a little  _too_  interested.

"They did! Right in front of me!" Veronica confirmed it, as if she was talking about the best concert of her life.

"When did you guys start dating?" Betty asked, seeming interested.

Jughead and I looked at each other again.

"It's complicated, but we had a moment when Jug stayed over after Derek. But we officially started dating earlier this month," I explained, looking at the gang.

"Oh, so that's why," Archie nodded, referring to when he asked me out.

"Why what?" Veronica asked, turning to Archie.

"That's why Jug and I have been hanging out so much," I lied, glaring at him.

"Yeah," Jughead agreed. "I kept blowing off Archie. Sorry, bud," he kept up the lie.

"It's alright," Archie scoffed, smiling a little. "I'm just glad you're both happy."

"Me too," Betty agreed.

"So have you two?" Kevin asked again. "Kissed? The neck? Lips? Chest?" He gasped loudly, leaning forward to say something else.

"No," Jughead and I quickly answered, already knowing what he was talking about.

"Can we talk about Archie's game coming up this weekend or something?" I asked, looking over to Archie. Jughead put his arm around me, looking at me before looking at Archie.

As Archie was about to speak, Veronica exploded again.

"I'm sorry. You guys are just- ugh! So cute," Veronica smiled. "Anyways, continue, Archiekins."

Archie briefly explained his game and when it was going to be.

I wanted to make Veronica and Kevin content, so I took Jug's cheek and turned him to me.

"Just one," I quickly whispered.

He rolled his eyes and nodded, pulling me into a quick kiss.

Kevin swooned at us and Veronica loudly gasped. Meanwhile, Archie and Betty gave awkward smiles.

Cheryl planted her palm on the table, forcing a smile on me and Jughead.

"So, a kid with a deadbeat dad meets with a girl that has an apple pie life. Sounds like the opening to the worst joke ever," she taunted us out of nowhere.

"At least someone actually cares about me, Cheryl," I snapped back at her.

She laughed and replied with: "At least I have money."

"At least I have a sibling," I spat out.

I saw that I hit a hard spot, and decided to pull it back a little. I then realized that it wasn't my place to even say that since I don't even have a sibling anymore. Her jaw clenched as she took a hard swallow.

"Don't think I don't know about, Claire. The accident," Cheryl brought up.

I bit my tongue, staying in my place.

"It was one of those cases where you were seconds away, right? You did a shitty job of keeping her alive," she smirked, seeing that she's also pinned me down. "All I had to do was look up her name, and bam. The morgue."

I stood up, ready to sock her in the jaw. A pair of arms held me back, and I was face to face with Cheryl.

"That's right, Juggy. Hold her back," Cheryl told him with a cocky grin. She coldly stared me down and said: "Next time, clean your hands before you point your dirty finger at me."

She walked away and the bell rang. I stood there, defeated and embarrassed.

"Claire has been gone this whole time?" Archie asked, sounding hurt.

I looked away and all I could do was nod.

I couldn't look at any of my friends in the face, knowing that I've lied to them this whole time.

"We'll see you in class guys," Jughead told them as they slowly left.

Once everyone cleared out of the courtyard, Jughead finally turned me around to see my eyes red and filling with tears. I sniffled and wiped the edge of my eye with my sweater, admitting: "I deserved it."

"No, you didn't," he assured, bringing me into a hug.

He kissed my head a few times as I told him exactly what I was thinking.

"I stooped pretty low."

"Kinda."

"I lied to everyone."

Jughead sighed and put his arm around me. "You only did it so you wouldn't have to be reminded of it. That's okay. They'll forgive you."

"They shouldn't."

"They will."

The second bell rang, meaning that we were officially late for class.

Jughead let go of me and stared at me, seeming upset from me crying. He wiped my tears away and took my hand, walking me around the school until I calmed down and returned to normal.

"Oh, Juggy! I don't want to keep you from class," I told him, forgetting that he had a life too.

"I've barely skipped class this semester, so I'm sure they'll let it slide," he assured, smiling at me as if I was the cutest thing he's ever seen.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I smiled a little, scoffing.

Jughead shrugged. "It's just that... I don't know. Whenever you're upset you seem to worry about someone else instead of yourself."

We circled back to the entrance of the school by then, still holding hands and keeping close.

"I'm not gonna lie, I think I do that because of the car accident," I told him. Naturally, he gave me a strange stare. "I know, but think about it. I clenched up and shielded myself. I had enough time to cover her and I didn't."

I grew upset again, and Jughead quickly took notice.

"Hey, hey, hey. No more talking about the crash, okay? It's not your fault and what's done is done. Instead of dwelling, we need to be in the present. Like for example, we're missing class," he tried to divert my attention.

It was a kind attempt, but it wouldn't erase the memory or the regret from the back of my mind. I decided to act like it vanished from my brain since it would make Jughead worry less.

"Yeah. Right. Let's go," I nodded.

Of course, walking into class the teacher was furious until I spoke to him in private about the scenario as vaguely as I could. Hesitantly, he accepted it knowing that I never miss any of my classes and I had a good grade.

After the rest of my classes, Jughead and I held hands as we strolled across the schoolyard when I heard a familiar voice.

"Yo! Gerard Way!"

Jug and I turned to see Reggie and his jock friends roll up on us.

"Let's go," I turned back around and pulled his hand with me a little.

It was already too late, and they were here.

"I see you were pretty quick to hop on my boy Derek's girl," Reggie stood a little too close to Jughead.

Immediately, I was angry.

"I'm not Derek's girl. I'm not Jughead's girl either. I'm my own person. So first of all, you can stop talking about me like I'm a piece of property," I snapped at Reggie, letting go of Jughead's hand.

"Woah, guys. Watch out!" Reggie laughed, as his friends laughed and egged him on. "Little princess here is fighting her own battle. Is her frog prince going to save her?"

Jughead just gave me a confident smile as he crossed his arms. "Actually," he looked back at Reggie. "I think she's handling herself just fine."

"She obviously couldn't when she was with Derek last weekend," Reggie taunted, running out of ways to pick on us.

Jughead's grin immediately went away to a cold hard stare. "Is Reggie still feeling lonely after Catherine turned you down at your own party?"

The guys behind Reggie collectively said "oooooh," as his face went red with humiliation.

"That's it, Jones," Reggie stepped forward and gave him a hard push. Immediately, everyone around caught attention and started cheering and chanting like a bunch of wild animals.

As the two fought, I looked around to see if I could spot any of my friends to help separate the two. I found the complete opposite, and my skin turned cold.

I saw Derek watching, his hair messy, his eyes red, and a look of slight amusement on his face as he watched. We then locked eyes, and his smile went away.

I didn't know what to do, but what I did know was that I wanted to leave.

I stepped in between the two and raised my knee toward Reggie's crotch, which he flinched and crouched down in preparation. My knee and his crotch didn't connect, and in that moment of desperation, he looked cowardly and pathetic. That was enough for him to stop.

I grabbed Jughead's upper arm in that small window of opportunity and pulled him away.

"I want to go," was all I could say.

No surprise, Jughead noticed that something was off with me.

Once we were away from the crowd, he fixed the straps of his backpack on his shoulders.

"What happened?" He asked, looking down at me. "Besides the fight. You seem off."

"I saw Derek," I spoke harshly, still tense from even seeing him.

Jughead grew defensive and protective. "When? During the fight?"

"Yeah. He was watching. Then we saw each other and I got scared. He looked awful," I tried to explain. "Like, he was hopped up on a lot of drugs."

"You're worried about him?!" Jughead asked, disappointed and surprised.

"God, no! I'm worried about what he's thinking on all those drugs," I told him. "I'm not that dumb, Jug."

It upset me a little that he'd even believe that I had a chance of falling back in love with Derek. There was a negative one percent chance of that ever happening.

There was just silence between the two of us as we walked along the sidewalk. We arrived at my house, but Jughead took my shoulder and turned me into the park across the street. We walked along the curved pavement until we reached the bench.

I couldn't help but smile a little. "Remember when I was drunk and we stayed here to look at the stars?"

Jughead let out a soft laugh. "Yeah. I do. I like that memory."

After a moment, he took my face and turned it to his, an inch apart.

He then gave me a hard kiss, which was oddly sudden, but it made me feel a lot better about everything that had happened today.

After the long kiss, he slowly pulled away, still holding my head.

"Yhe heef gj shkl wgryknff," was all I heard.

I took his hands off of my ears and brought them down to my jaw.

"What?" I asked, laughing a little.

"Oh," he smiled. "I said that you need to stop worrying. I don't like seeing you this worked up and... tense."

I grinned with an idea.

Jughead noticed. "What?"

"Wanna give me a back massage? Back at my place?"

Jughead sighed, smiling a little as he rolled his eyes. "If that's what it takes to make you feel less shitty, I'll do it."

As promised, I got the best back massage of my life and convinced him to stay over another night. Score!


	21. Panic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Hi! I’m going to New York for the next few days for college related things so I posted this early! That also means that it’ll be quite a while until I post again (a week and a day probably). I hope y’all like hurt!

**Tuesday**

**Nov. 22nd**

A few days had passed since the fight, and I haven't seen Derek besides one passing period every day—fifth period. I never noticed we passed each other until the other day when we accidentally brushed shoulders after class. It bothered me because Jughead wasn't nearby since he was all the way across the school.

I was on my way to lunch when Cheryl stopped me in the almost empty hall.

"Hello, Catherine," she said in a rather harsh tone, which didn't surprise me.

"Cheryl," I replied, also feeling cold towards her.

She held up an old picture I nearly forgot. My eyes widened as I took the photo in hand to examine it closer.

It was me and Jason Blossom. I almost forgot that we dated back in elementary school. I was seven and he was eight or nine. In the picture, he was kissing my cheek and I gave a big toothy smile.

"I was looking through one of my scrapbooks and I found this. You want to explain?" She demanded.

I shrugged, handing it back to her. "What can I say? We dated."

She grew even more frustrated and grabbed the front of my shirt. I was waiting for her to yell at me or even slap me, but instead, she dragged me to the janitor's closet, not wanting to make a psycho scene.

She closed the door behind the both of us and turned on the dangling light. I was in an interrogation room.

"Please," she begged, putting down her façade.

She held up the picture to me one more time, tears welling in her eyes. "I just want to remember Jason. I don't remember this."

"Me either, honestly. Uh... maybe ask me some questions and I can try to remember?" I suggested, trying to help her out. Seeing Cheryl cry was a foreign experience for me, which let me know that this was personal and important.

She sniffled, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Um... how did he ask you out?"

I leaned against the wall and thought for a brief moment. A wave of memories hit me.

"I was under a maple tree drawing or doing homework. Jason walked up to me with a bell and a blossom in his hand. He asked if they looked nice, and I said yes. Then he asked me and I also said yes," I smiled to myself. "It was clever."

Cheryl smiled a little bit, laughing and nodding. "That sounds like him. Jay jay was always creative..."

I didn't want to spend the rest of my life in the janitor's closet, so I tried to slide towards the door.

"How did you both break up?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at me.

I looked around, trying to remember. "We just naturally parted I guess. We both lost interest after a month. We were little, so..."

"Did  _you_  break-up with him?" She asked, stepping closer to me.

"Look," I quickly said, my back to the door. I grabbed the knob and slightly opened it. "I'm sorry, Cheryl, but I can't remember everything. I know as much as you do."

I slipped out of the closet and jogged away for a few seconds. I walked to lunch to see Jughead turn his head as soon as I walked out of the school doors.

"Where were you?" He asked, bringing everyone's attention to me. They all appeared concerned, which made me smile a little.

I sat down and dropped my bags in the dying grass.

"Cheryl pulled me into the janitor's closet and interrogated me about dating Jason Blossom," I flatly said, mostly because it didn't affect me that much. I was just extremely hungry. Jughead's appetite was growing on me.

I pulled out my lunch and everyone collectively said "What?!"

I looked around, wide-eyed. "What?"

"You dated Jason Blossom?!" Archie questioned, dumbfounded.

I laughed a little. "Yeah! When I was  _seven_."

They all still seemed to be interested.

"How long did that last?" Betty questioned, her blue eyes bubbling with curiosity.

"A month."

"I think I remember that..." Jughead slowly spoke, the idea coming back to him. "Yeah. I was jealous."

I grinned at Juggy, placing my head on his shoulder as a gentle reminder that I only love him.

I spent a good portion of my lunch talking about it. The topic changed to something else, but I tuned it all out since I was scarfing down my sandwich before the bell rang.

Once lunch and fifth period ended, I walked towards my English 10 class when an arm wrapped around my shoulder.

"Heyyy Catherine," Derek greeted me with a cool tone. I would've pushed him off if I didn't feel a blade poke my side as we walked down the hall.

"Don't," I pleaded, loud enough for him to hear. The hall suddenly fell silent, and I could hear his voice clearly. I could smell the alcohol off his leather jacket, strong and unpleasant—making my nose sting and my throat tingle.

"Listen," he purred in my ear. "Your life is going to suck the next couple of months. F.P. won't be able to help you, and neither will his kid. Speaking of him, he's hanging with some of my buddies as we speak."

My stomach dropped, my face turning completely pale.

"I don't get it," I said, my voice frail. "You're the one that hurt  _me_."

He pressed the blade on my side, causing me to breathe rapidly in fear of it penetrating me. I could already feel it cutting into my skin.

"Don't push it, babe," he told me, before kissing my cheek. I felt  _disgusting_.

The bell rang above our heads as he released his grip on me, putting away his pocket knife.

"Don't be late to class," he told me, before entering a classroom.

I fell to my knees, feeling light-headed and anxious. I calmed down my breathing and held my head, trying to remember which period Jughead had that hour.

_Psychology!_

I got on my two feet and ran to the other side of the school, peering into the Psychology class.

I saw one empty seat, which was most likely Jughead's seat.

I clutched my chest, not knowing what to do.

I called him, but no answer.

I peered into every single class to make sure I didn't look into the wrong one. Jughead was nowhere to be seen. I looked high and low before leaving the school. English 10 wouldn't miss me.

I ran all the way to Jughead's house and feverishly knocked on the door. The door flew open to F.P. seeming hungover and pissed off.

By the look on my face, he quickly sobered up.

"Something happened to Jughead. I don't know what but I'm scared," I rapidly spoke.

"Slow down, girl. What happened?"

I explained the situation in its entirety and what Derek told me, word for word.

F.P. turned his head over to the side slightly, obviously bothered by this.

"I hate saying this, but we gotta wait. If he doesn't come outside of school to walk you home, come and get me at the Whyte Wyrm," F.P. told me in a slow voice, making sure I heard him loud and clear.

I nodded, and turned around to leave.

"Hold on," he told me, before going back inside. He came back out with his bike keys in hand. "I ain't gonna have you walk yourself all the way back to school. Now that'd just be plain rude."

My stomach turned at the thought of riding a bike, even though it's a five to ten-minute drive. At the same time, it was awfully cold out and I was weak from running almost a mile in the span of a few minutes.

I put on his helmet and locked my hands around F.P.'s waist before he sped off towards school. He played the radio loudly to fill in the awkward silence. My hair whipped around in the crisp wind, and my adrenaline coursed through me at its peak.

He halted at the front of my school, and I handed him the helmet.

"Thanks," was all I could say. "I'll keep in touch."

"Don't forget. Whyte Wyrm," he reminded me, putting the helmet on his own head. He turned his bike around and drove off.

I turned back to the school, knowing that the bell was about to ring. I couldn't go to class knowing that I would be scolded and also I wouldn't be able to focus knowing that Jughead was in trouble. I sat on the front steps until the bell rang.

I waited by the stairs, our usual meeting spot. Archie walked out and saw that I was still hanging around. "Hey. Do you know where Jughead is?"

I shook my head. "No! I think he's in trouble, Archie," I fearfully told him.

"What do you mean?"

I explained the whole situation to him, and he ended up waiting by my side. Once the school was mostly cleared out, I got even more worried. He should've been there already.

"We have to go look," I told Archie. "I'm not going home until I find him."

"Okay." Archie hesitantly nodded. "I'll try the boy's locker room. You look in the janitor's closet."

I nodded, and we both ended up checking the school high and low to find nothing.

We met again at the stairs and tried to think. There was only one place left to check.

Archie and I looked at each other, panicked.

"The field."

We ran all the way to the football field and started calling Jughead's name. I began losing hope until I saw a figure in the distance. I stopped to see Jughead emerge from behind the bleachers, holding his side.

He looked really bad. His face was bloodied and his cheek bruised. He walked with a limp and it seemed like his chest hurt.

I ran towards him at lightning speed, nearly stumbling over the grass.

He collapsed onto his knees, unable to walk anymore. The dewey grass from the sprinklers earlier helped me slide on my knees. I caught Jughead before his face could even touch the soft soil, his body practically dead-weight in my arms. Tears welled in my eyes as I lifted his head to see the damage.

"Are you... okay?" He weakly asked, taking ahold of my shoulders.

"I'm fine," I sobbed. "Oh god! I'm so sorry." I pulled him into a hug and felt how cold he was. Those bastards stole his jacket, and even his beanie.

"Jughead," Archie also slid on his knees, stopping beside him. "Can you walk?"

"Barely," he murmured out.

Archie looked at me for advice.

"We have to go to the Whyte Wyrm," I told him, wiping my tears away. I tried to get ahold of myself in the situation.

"No, no," Jughead protested, his voice slurred as he wavered his hand.

"We  _have_  to," I told him. "Your dad already knows."

"C'mon," Archie put Jughead's arm around his shoulder before helping him up. I took his other arm, also placing it around my shoulder.

The Whyte Wyrm was a long ways away, but we were going to make it.  
  



	22. Reality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I'm back from New York which means I'm finally able to post again!! Hope yall enjoy!

**Tuesday Continued**

**Nov. 22nd**

Archie and I burst through the doors of the bar to have everyone turn to see us.

Someone hollered F.P. over, which he rushed to see us. His face went from curious, to concerned, to furious.

"Bring him to my office," F.P. demanded, before turning around. "Move it!"

He created a path through the Red Sea of serpents, guiding us to the stairs.

Once we got up the stairs, we entered his office and sat Jug onto F.P's chair.

I held Jughead's head up since he was completely out of it, his mouth slightly parted as he breathed heavily and in pain.

Archie talked to F.P about what we experienced as I tried to get through to Jug.

I took his hands, also freezing cold, and held them in mine. I blew hot air into them, rubbing them together.

"Juggy, please," I pleaded, on the brink of crying again.

His eyes fluttered open slightly before he dropped his head to see me. I held his bruised hands in mine tighter as I gazed up at him.

He gave me a faltering smile before raising his hand to my cheek, gently caressing it.

I smiled a little, relieved that he was slowly coming back to us. I then turned to his dad, awaiting his next command.

F.P. let out a harsh sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Both of y'all should leave. I got him."

Neither one of us wanted to argue against him, knowing he was both frustrated and upset. Archie went towards the door and I stood up, turning away slightly. I took one step and felt Jughead grab my hand tightly. I looked back to see him look at me; pleading.

I looked at F.P. for his response, only to receive a hesitant nod.

"I'll just go," Archie assured us, before looking directly at me. "Text me later."

"Okay," I promised, watching as he exited the room. Once the door clicked, I turned back to the Jones'.

"In the bathroom, there's some rags under the sink. Get 'em nice and damp before comin' back," F.P. ordered.

I ran out and nearly stumbled down the stairs, rushing into the bathroom to find the rags. I took two just to make sure that it would be enough. I ran them under the warm water and looked in the mirror to see a bruise on my cheek, where Derek had punched me two weeks ago. It seemed as if it had just happened, so I blinked a few times only to find it wasn't there. My skin was fully healed and smooth, confusing me.

A loud crack of the white ball hitting the prepared pool balls snapped me out of the dissociative moment. I ran out of the bathroom and jogged upstairs to find Jughead still in his seat, and his father leaning against the wall in silence.

I paced over to Jughead's side, gently placing the rag upon his swollen cheek. He gripped his seat tighter, jolting only a little. I moved underneath his bloody nose to at least clean him up. It felt as though Jughead and I traded places; him being beaten and me taking care of him.

"What happened, son? Who did this?" F.P. asked a little  _too_  calmly. I could tell by his piercing look that he was out for blood.

"Vincent and Gilbert," Jughead said, his voice worse for wear.

"Shitheads!" F.P. burst before kicking a cardboard box next to him. I flinched, and so did Jughead.

"Dad. Calm down," Jughead sat up a little, his voice sounding hoarse from the cold air cutting into his throat a little while ago.

"What did they do? What happened?!" F.P. walked closer to us.

I took his bloody knuckles and pressed the rag against them, the warm water dripping down to his fingertips and splashing upon the grimy wooden floor.

Jughead sighed, knowing that there was no way to calm down his father.

"I was on my way to class when Vincent took my shoulder and guided me down the hall. He seemed nice and all. I didn't know he was Derek's pal, of course," he cleared his throat, his raspy voice becoming slightly more full. "He brings me toward the door to the field, and once I reminded him that I have a class to go to, Gilbert jumps out and decks me. I fell on the floor and started to get up when Vincent kicked my side," he lifted his shirt to show the irritated area—soon to be a bruise.

"Then what?" F.P. gritted, wanting him to get to the point.

Jughead let go of his shirt, letting it fall. "They took me underneath the bleachers and beat the shit out of me. They held me up for a bit, just punching and slapping me. Then they kicked my leg so I'd fall, and they kicked and stomped on me. This all happened for probably five straight minutes until Vincent gave me a solid punch that knocked me out. I woke up to them walking away with my jacket and beanie. I could barely move; I felt so sore. Then I got cold." he turned to look at me. "until I heard you call my name. I grew the strength to get up and walk a few feet until I fell, and, well, you know the rest."

I sank my head, resting my forehead on the arm of the chair. I  _hated_  hearing all of that, and couldn't imagine how much F.P. hated it.

"They're dead meat," was all F.P. muttered out before storming towards the exit.

"Dad!" Jughead hollered, but to no avail. The door slammed behind him, leaving Jughead and I alone.

I looked at him, continuing to touch up his wounds.

"How did you know where to find me?" Jughead asked, a grin spreading across his face.

The tears came back, and I began to cry again. Jughead's smirk fell off of his face as he pulled me into a hug.

"This is so... fucked!" I sobbed, holding him tightly.

Jughead caressed me, gliding his hand around my back. "I know," he sympathized.

I pulled away, tears sliding down my cheeks smoothly. "I got out of my class and Derek pressed his blade against me as he walked me down the hall," I confessed. "He told me that things aren't gonna get easier, and I can't see you like this ever again. I just  _can't!_ "

I pulled up my shirt halfway to reveal the small cut Derek left on my waist; evidence for what had happened.

"He kissed my cheek, and I felt so  _dirty."_

Jughead pulled me into a hug, a sweet reminder that we were both still here. Eventually, he slid out of the chair and onto the floor with me, making sure we weren't uncomfortable.

"I don't want you hurt like this ever again," I sobbed, practically clinging onto him.

"Hey," Juggy softly said, catching my gaze. "I would go through this a gazillion times if it meant that you were okay."

I couldn't help but to smile at him, grateful.

"I love you."

The words practically dropped out of my mouth like honey.

He returned the smile, grazing his thumb on my cheek. "I love you too."

We hugged for a minute in silence, allowing ourselves to absorb the situation we were in. Suddenly, the thought came into my mind.

"You can't stay with me at my house," I gasped.

Jughead nodded, already catching on. "Right. I wouldn't want your parents to think that I scrap with the school druggies," his grin faltered.

I covered my mouth, my eyes wide. "I'm so sorry. Where are you gonna go?"

"It's okay, really!" He placed a hand on my shoulder. "I'll stay at Archie's. He's right down the block so I can still see you in the mornings."

I let out a deep breath, glad that the matter was situated.

"Just so you know, it's not because of what my parents think of you. I just don't want them to know about this whole situation with Derek-"

"What?!" Jughead exclaimed. "Wait. Let me hear this right. You're  _not_ going to the cops about this?" He gestured to himself. "Because I am. He can't get away with this!"

"No! No. It's just that he'll come after you, me, or even my parents. Hell, maybe someone in the group. I don't want to jeopardize anybody quite yet. You're enough for right now," I took a deep breath.

Jughead took ahold of my shoulders. "Jingles. Your mom is a detective. She'll catch him!"

"No, Jughead!" I blew up, slapping his hands off of my shoulder as I abruptly stood. I took a deep breath and slowly walked away, running my fingers through my hair. "I'm sorry, but it's too risky."

"It's not though," he let out a slight comforting laugh. "It'll be alright."

I thought back to being beaten by Derek, the lightning flashing across my vision. I shook my head rapidly, turning a heel and storming out of the room as Jughead called out my name. I jogged out of the bar into the frigid cold air.

It was dark out already, nearly pitch black if it weren't for the street lights. I kept running, running, and running until I collapsed on the park bench. I began crying out loud, knowing that no one would notice or hear unless they were jogging by.

I felt a cold touch against my palm, followed by a few more. I opened my eyes and looked up to find that it was the first snowfall of the year. The stars were gone, and the snowflakes replaced them.

I was still crying, but I felt more at ease.

I'd be lying if the thought of breaking up with Jughead hadn't crossed my mind; only for his safety.

I  _hated_  the fact that he got hurt because of me. Because of my past and idiotic decisions. I know for a fact that Jughead didn't deserve to be clobbered by Derek's goons, and I don't deserve him.

I sat on the bench, my tears beginning to freeze on my face. My lashes started to clump together and my cheeks grew hard from the tears freezing.

I decided to go home and at least sleep it over, only to find that my parents weren't there.

 **Me:**  Jughead needs to stay @ ur place. Is that cool?

 **Archie** : Yeah! Where is he?

 **Me:**  At the bar still. I went home. Don't ask.

 **Archie:**  uhh... alright. I'll pick him up then.

I felt at ease, knowing that he at least had a ride.

I laid in my bed, warming up from the freezing outdoors. I curled up in a ball and cried as loud as I needed to since no one would hear.

I felt truly  _alone_.


	23. The List

**Wednesday**

**Nov. 23rd**

**_BAM! BAM! BAM!_ **

I shot upright in my bed, my eyes wide and my heart racing. I looked around to hear the three bangs again, quickly realizing that they were coming from the window.

"Cath,  _please_ ," I heard Jughead whine. "It's cold out here. Let me in so we can talk?"

I got out of bed and shuffled over to the window, opening the blinds to see him standing on a ladder. My eyes went from narrow to wide. Confused as to how he got a ladder, I looked down to see Archie holding the bottom, his face red from the cold as his perfect teeth chattered.

I opened the window carefully, making sure to not cause Jughead to fall down.

He quickly stepped in, looking to be in better condition than earlier. I walked away, still upset. The red lights from my alarm clock flashed "3:45 A.M." in my face.

It was still awfully dark in my room—only the moonlight illuminating it— so I couldn't completely see Jughead.

Without saying bye to Archie, he closed the window behind him before turning to me.

He took in a deep breath, trying to think of what to say. Letting his hands fall to his side, he said the oddest and most hurtful statement.

"I'm sorry."

I stood in disbelief, letting the silence take over for a little bit.

"I just-...  _what?_ " I shook my head slightly, trying to wrap my head around why he was apologizing.

"I'm sorry for getting hurt. I'm also sorry for-"

"Stop," I interrupted him, taking his shoulders roughly. "Please. Just... stop. Don't say anything."

"Okay."

I was crying, my tear stains turning cold from the frigid air, but Jughead couldn't see this in the dark.

I gave him a hug, an attempt to let him know that I wasn't mad at him. I was mad at myself.

He quietly hugged me back, placing his chin on the top of my head. I nearly fell asleep in his arms from both the crying and lack of sleep.

"It's not your fault," was all I could say. "Don't apologize for anything like that ever again. You hear me?"

"Y-yeah?" He answered, a bit unsure of where I was coming from.

We sat in some more silence, and the darkness swallowed me whole.

 

* * *

 

I woke up, finding myself in my bed, curled up as if it was all a dream. I sat up to feel my eyes slightly crusted from the previous night's sorrows. I got out of bed and checked the window to see that it was, in fact, unlocked; proving that last night was real.

The smell of bacon suddenly danced around my nose, bringing my attention to my mother's voice from downstairs.

"Cathrine! Breakfast!"

I quickly got ready, surprised that I had gotten up without an alarm. Upon rushing downstairs, my mom turned to me with a smile on her face and a plate in her hand. Her smile faltered slightly.

"Honey. Your eyes are so bloodshot," concern swept over her face.

"I didn't get really good sleep," I sighed, taking the plate. I sat at the dinner table and quickly scarfed down my meal. I watched as my mom cleaned the dishes, humming an old song from the 60's.

I felt like crying again, scared of her getting hurt too. I understood that my mom was a detective, but then again I never saw Jughead being able to get hurt.

I pushed my plate away and ran off to the door where my backpack always awaited me.

"Cath! You didn't finish your breakfast!" She said, more worried than upset.

"I'm gonna be late," my voice wavered in and out as I tried to hold back my tears.

I didn't get why I was being so sensitive as of late. I know my parents are okay, but the thought of them being beaten up or hurt  _kills_  me.

I walked to school, trying to cry it all out before facing the day. It felt even more upsetting walking without Jughead. He most likely stayed home to rest, and I felt like the worst girlfriend for not being more sympathetic to him. After all, he did go through getting beat up for me.

Throughout the day, I was left to reflect over Jughead and I. Not only our relationship, but my friendships too.

As I passed through the halls during fifth period, I heard Derek whisper in my ear "Check your locker," before disappearing into the sea of frantic students trying to make it to their next class. I came to a halt. The hurried students slammed my shoulders as I stood with a haunted expression.

Without any more thought, I turned my heel and ran against the hoard of students to reach my locker, frantically opening it.

It was a yellow lined paper inside, which was obviously slipped through the vent. I opened it to find a list.

J̶u̶g̶h̶e̶a̶d̶

Catherine

Veronica

Archie

Betty

Kevin

Mom

Dad

F.P.

The Coopers

Fred Andrews

Hermione Lodge

PICKED AT RANDOM

Accompanying the list was a date.

** DECEMBER 18TH **

_Why was the date so far away? What is going to happen between then and now?_

The bell rang, and a hand clutched my shoulder, causing me to jump and crumple the paper.

It was some football coach staring down at me.

"Get to class, Bell."

I hastily nodded, closing my locker before heading to my class.

 

* * *

 

After school I sat in my room, drawing on my whiteboard with a list of plans. My arm quickly grew tired from scribbling down dates, locations, and names.

This included Jughead, school, my family, and most importantly, myself.

I hated the plan more than anything, but the way things were going, I knew it had to be done.

 

* * *

 

**Thursday**

**Nov. 24th**

After going to school, I walked straight to Archie's house to see Jughead. I knew that both of the Andrew's weren't home since Fred was still at work and Archie had football practice.

I tried turning the door handle first, which was unlocked. I walked into the home; the air still and not a single sound to be heard.

"Jughead?" I hollered, closing the door behind me as I looked around.

I heard a groan from upstairs, letting me know that he was still asleep.

I climbed the steps and opened Archie's bedroom door to see him curled up in a ball, turned away from me.

"Hey," I softly spoke, a smile placed upon my face. "How are you holding up?"

"Alright," he murmured, before turning over to see me. His face looked much better compared to the other night, but he still had bruising on his cheek, nose, and had a busted lip that was half-way healed. "How are you doing?"

I opened my mouth, trying to find the right words to convey how I was feeling. Nothing could explain my thoughts, so I just shook my head, letting it hang. I placed my hand on my forehead and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry I didn't come over yesterday. I had some stuff to do and things came up," I apologized.

"That's okay. Don't let me stop your life," he took my hand and gave a consoling squeeze.

My stomach turned, knowing that Jughead didn't deserve what my plans would have in store for him.

"Hey, listen," he sat up rather abruptly. He winced slightly and held his abdomen, forgetting about his bruises. I quickly touched his shoulder, worried for his sake. "I'm fine," he quickly assured. "Um. We need to talk about something that you won't be happy about."

I shifted a little in my seat, letting him know that I was listening.

"We have to tell the authorities about what happened," he said, to-the-point.

"Jughead, we can't just-"

"Fred already knows, and if we don't then he will. He made that very clear yesterday," Jughead told me, looking into my eyes.

Staring back at him, I realized that I couldn't ask Jughead to keep quiet about him being beaten since it would be plain wrong.

I began shaking, growing anxious of the thought of Derek finding out I went to the police to rat on him.

I nodded rapidly, my eyes wide and my hand trembling in Jughead's. Tears welled in my eyes as I kept staring at him. "Okay," I croaked.

Jughead just gave me a weary smile, rubbing his hand up and down my arm. "It's going to be okay. The serpents have our back, and also the police will have our back. There's nothing he can do to hurt you, or me."

I began to shake, even more, remembering the list. I just nodded again, before quickly moving to his side so I could hug him.

Jughead embraced the random hug, pulling me down to bed with him. He spooned me, so I was faced away from him so I could calm down and let the tears slip out quickly before it turned into a waterfall.

Laying down for thirty more minutes, the door opened from downstairs.

"Jughead, I'm home!" Fred announced, most likely to assure him that it wasn't a burglar; or Derek.

The two of us sat up slowly, Jughead still groggy from waking up.

"Let's go to the cops today so we don't have to worry about it anymore," he suggested, patting my back.

I nodded, getting out of bed. I helped Jughead get out, and let him lean on me since those assholes stomped on his leg too.

"Are you sure you shouldn't go to a hospital?" I questioned.

"I can't," Jughead flat out said. "I don't have health insurance, or at least my dad doesn't. I'd rather tough it out this week instead of paying thousands of dollars for a bum leg. Curse you, American Health Care System," he scolded to the air—his humor still thriving.

Once we reached the ground floor, Fred was in the kitchen eating an apple. He stopped chewing and swallowed whatever he had in his mouth.

"Oh. Hi, Catherine," he greeted me.

"Hi, Mr. Andrews. I thought I'd stop by and see how Jughead was doing," I honestly told him.

"He's a trooper," Fred smiled slightly at me, before looking at Jughead. "How are you doing, kiddo?"

"Well, I feel good enough to go to the police station," he sighed, also dreading the process of filing a report and all of the other nonsense.

"Good! I'm guessing you'll be going with us too, then," he looked back at me. I nodded, still hating the idea. "Alrighty then. Let's hit the road."

Fred grabbed his keys and lead us out to his truck, where I sat in the middle and the two of them sat by the windows.

We stopped in front of the station and walked in to find the secretary, who was caring for our needs.

"Hello!" She chirped, stopping everything she was doing.

"Hi, is the sheriff here? I need to file a report," Fred asked nicely, giving a friendly smile.

"Yes he is! Down the hall and the last left," she pointed towards heavy wooden double doors.

We followed Fred to the sheriff's office, where he was at his desk having a donut with my mom, chatting about Jason Blossom's case.

"Oh no," I said out loud, to which my mom raised her head to discover us.

"Catherine? Oh my god! Jughead! What happened?" She questioned, a wave of concern spreading throughout her face.

"I believe they can tell you that," Fred nudged the two of us towards them.

I ended up spilling  _everything_  about Derek. From the night where his knuckles touched my cheek, all the way up until now. The only part I left out was the list, not wanting to worry anyone.

Jughead then gave his experience with finding me that night, and then his run-in with Derek's goons.

It was relieving letting it all out, but at the same time frightening. I knew severe action was going to be taken place since my mom is the detective.

Speaking of whom, stayed a little  _too_  silent during our confession. The Sheriff listened intently as he recorded the conversation which would most likely be typed later.

My mom turned to Jughead and spoke with the sincerest voice. "I just want to say thank you, for keeping my daughter safe. I'm sorry you had to go through this, but it won't be to no avail."

I was weirded out, mostly because I had never seen my mom so serious and professional.

"And if you need anywhere to stay, our doors are open. I won't forget this."

Jughead just smiled a little. "Like I told Catherine, I'd go through this a thousand times if it meant that she was safe."

He practically won my mom over, as if he hadn't already.

The Sheriff looked at me and said: "This punk is gonna be put away for a while, I can assure you that," he gave a prideful confident stare paired with a noble nod.

My mom placed her hand on the Sheriff's shoulder. "Do you mind if I take my daughter home?"

"Go ahead. There isn't much else to do here," he relieved her. They were getting nowhere with the Jason Blossom case, and the only recent crimes were drug-related. At least that was what mom says at the dinner table — when she's there.

She smiled at him before patting his shoulder and walking over to me, giving me a half hug. She turned us towards Fred.

"Thanks for bringing them here, by the way," my mom smiled at him.

"It had to be done sooner or later," Fred shrugged it off. "I'll make sure my boy Archie keeps an eye out for her at school."

The two of them ended up talking for five whole minutes about school and our lives, like normal parents do. Jughead and I just looked at each other, reacting to each thing they were saying. He'd mouth something to me and I'd laugh a little.

Finally, once they were done talking, my mom and I left.

Once we got in the car, she didn't start it quite so soon. She inhaled and then exhaled loudly.

"I'm not mad, but I just want to know why you didn't tell me or your father. I mean, I understand your dad can be a stick in the mud but you could've at least told me," she said, sounding hurt.

My mom and I were close, no doubt. Oddly enough she took the role of being my sister, while at the same time being a good mom. We were incredibly open with each other until all of this happened.

"I'm sorry, Mom," I hung my head. "It's just-... I was scared that he'd hurt you, Dad, or my friends," I told her truthfully.

She scoffed a little, before taking my shoulder. "I think you sometimes forget that I'm also a registered police officer. I can take that punk down if I wanted," she boasted. "You don't have to worry about that, dear. You're safe now."

She leaned over and kissed my forehead before starting the car.

We blasted the music on the radio, singing along to it. It felt as if everything was normal for a moment — as if I was thrown back into 2008.

The fun was short lived when we came home and found my dad in the driveway by his car, cursing out loud and on the phone. We quickly hopped out of my mom's car to see what all of the commotion was about.

Dad hung up and turned to us, red-faced.

"Some brat slashed three of my tires! Not even four! Now I have to pay the extra fee for the fourth one!" He scolded.

"We might know who did that," I told my dad.

"Who?" He quickly retorted, putting his phone in his pocket.

My mom sighed, saying: "Come on inside. We have a lot to talk about, baby."


	24. Redemption

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the poor updates. Summer has made me lose track of time, constantly. However!!!! I am starting college in two-ish weeks, so hopefully I can finally fit this story into my routine!

**TWO WEEKS LATER**

**Dec. 7th**

After speaking to the police and coming out to my parents about the whole Derek situation, I hadn't heard from Derek since. In fact, he wasn't even in school anymore, so I assumed he either dropped out or left Riverdale completely.

Despite his absence, I've been much more anxious. Typically I would find myself making sure all of the windows and doors were locked, or even messaging friends when I haven't heard from them in a certain number of hours.

I considered Derek's disappearance the calm before the storm. I also understood that it could have been just my paranoia, but I didn't want to let my guard down until December 18th came and went. I counted down the days until then, which kept dwindling and dwindling.

As for Jughead, he had been mostly healed besides some bruises here and there. I had been trying to seem more distant with him — an attempt to break up with him — for the sake of his safety.

After cleaning his wounds in an otherworldly bar in south Riverdale, I realized that I can't see him in that state again.

Yes, Derek is gone. However, I didn't want to risk it.

I contemplated getting back together with Jughead after all of this blows over, but in the meantime, we needed a break. I didn't know how to successfully bring it up to him without him assuring me that he's not in any danger and denying that a break would help. I thought of every excuse Jughead would say because I know he loves me. But he loves a little too recklessly.

The last two weeks we also haven't talked, kissed, or even knew much about what was happening with the other.

Jughead would be openly affectionate with me, but I wouldn't return the favor. Each kiss I dodged hurt me just as much as it hurt him, yet he didn't say a word about it.

I cried some nights, confused on what I was even doing or who I was helping. I wondered if all of this distance was worth it. It always boiled down to the moral, which was being safe rather than sorry.

As he walked me home, we were both silent. We didn't hold hands and didn't speak to each other. Suddenly, Jughead's phone rang and he answered it quickly, hoping to break the silence.

"Hello?" He looked over at me. I watched as his brows furrowed slightly and he gave a quizzical expression. I couldn't help but smile a little bit at how cute he was, but then quickly wiped it off.

"Yeah. We're on our way. Okay," Jughead hurriedly hung up. "Apparently my dad caught one of Derek's henchman who beat me up."

I listened to him, waiting for him to move and guide me. Instead, he stood there, also waiting for me to react.

"And?" I looked at him, confused.

"Do you want to come with me?"

I was taken aback by how he had to ask me that. Then again, I never really went with him anywhere anymore. If I would've said no, I wouldn't know more information about Derek, but I would progress in separating myself from Jughead.

"Yeah, sure," I caved in. "Lead the way."

He guided me to the Whyte Wyrm, where the atmosphere was practically the same as two weeks ago, except snow filled the ground and tracked into the bar.

Jughead took me by the arm and led me up the stairs to F.P's office, where the goon, Gilbert, was tied up with a cloth in his mouth.

Gilbert was a tall lanky guy with dark hair, a buzz cut, a round head, and some good muscles in his biceps. He looked at Jughead and me with sheer hate.

It was obvious that he was beaten up by the blood on F.P's knuckles. His face wasn't completely mangled, but there were a few good swollen areas and a bloody nose.

"Here, son," F.P. turned to grab a nicely folded jacket with a beanie on top. The past two weeks Jughead had complained relentlessly about how exposed he felt without his beanie to shield him from the "impurity of the world."

Whatever that meant — now I won't have to hear about it anymore.

"How'd you find him?" Jughead asked, looking back at Gilbert.

"One of my pals hit me up and saw this piece of trash in the garbage can, literally. He was diggin' like a damn starving raccoon!" F.P. laughed a little, looking at the two of us. He then quieted down and gathered us close to each other, away from Gilbert. "Y'know. If either of y'all want to take a swing..."

Jughead separated from the group saying: "No! Dad. That would make me no better than him. It's illegal as it-"

"I'll do it," I interjected.

Jughead gave me a shocked and confused expression, as if to say "Don't encourage him!"

F.P. smiled a little, seemingly proud of me. "You picked a tough girl, Jughead. Go on, Catherine. Make his head ring like a Bell."

I turned my heel and walked up to him, seeing that he wasn't too afraid, considering I was a girl. I clenched my fist and pulled back.

"Wait!" Jughead shouted, before rushing over to me.

I halted, wondering what he was going to say to stop me. A part of me hoped he would.

Instead, he took my arm and positioned it farther back, before kicking my foot in the right position.

"If you're going to do it, you might as well do it right," he sighed, not happy about it. He even took the cloth out of Gilbert's mouth.

I smiled back at him, as thanks. Gilbert remained silent, knowing that there was nothing to do or say. I took a hard swing, knocking out one of his teeth!

"WOAH!" F.P. shouted before clapping. He walked over and roughly patted my shoulder. "You got quite an arm! Either that or the boy has some bad teeth!"

"Fuck!" Gilbert shouted, before spitting blood on the floor. He turned to me with a fire in his eyes. "You fucking bitc-"

F.P. gave him a hard slap before swiping the cloth from Jughead's hands and stuffing it back in his mouth.

"You know it ain't polite to talk down a pretty young lady," F.P. shagged up his hair. "And to spit on someone's floor. Were you raised in a barn, rocky raccoon?"

"Okay, Dad," Jughead rolled his eyes, getting tired of how cocky his father was being. "What's gonna happen to him now?"

F.P. bit his lower lip, narrowing his eyes at Gilbert. "I have some work for him to do, I guess. It ain't like he got a family that misses him."

I frowned a little, looking at Gilbert and finally seeing why he was the way he was. He had no family.

Jughead saw me in my reflective state and took my shoulder. "We have homework to do, Dad. Uh. Thanks for getting my stuff back I guess."

"You two take care now," F.P. waved us goodbye.

Jughead led me out to the ground floor and then out the door into the peaceful atmosphere.

I opened and closed my hand, looking at my fist.

"Your knuckles hurt, huh?" Jughead mentioned, walking beside me with a slight smile.

"No," I lied, quickly putting my hand down. I knew I was going to get a bruise later, but I didn't want Jughead to worry, or to talk to me for that matter.

His smile faded as he sighed: "Sorry I asked."

My stomach shrank, wanting to apologize and let him take my hand to examine it, maybe even kiss it all better. Instead, I bit my tongue on the matter.

Once we arrived at my house, I climbed up the stairs to my front door.

"Hey, Catherine?"

I stopped and turned to see Jughead still standing on the sidewalk. He seemed so alone even though I was right there.

He looked around, his mouth slightly open as if he was collecting the words in his mind. He placed his hand on the back of his neck and said: "I don't know what you're going through, or what happened. I just want you to know that you can talk to me about it whenever you're ready."

I rolled my lips inward, looking down slightly.

"Oh, and put some ice in that, will you?"

I looked up to see him begin walking away, pulling his beanie out of his pocket and placing it on his head; rightfully so.


	25. Retreat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, first of all, I am SO SORRY!!! I just got settled into college and probably cried... hmm... three days straight (I wish I was over exaggerating but I'm not) and I've been dying to write but the thought of posting completely slipped my mind. Just know that I have all of the chapters prewritten so no matter what, I won't leave this story unfinished :)
> 
> I would post two chapters today, but this is a really good cliff hanger. HOWEVER!! I won't be posting it a week from now. I'll post it in half a week as an apology. 
> 
> Thank you for reading and hanging in there while I go through this stressful time!

**Saturday**

**Dec. 17th**

I know that I intended to break up with Jughead, or at least separate temporarily, but the signs of a crumbling relationship were emerging.

We fought about the dumbest things, and both of us—being stubborn—wouldn't talk to each other for a day or even up to a week. Not only would it take a toll on us, but also our friend group.

We'd bicker over something so insignificant at Pop's and the table would fall silent, even if our bickering came to an abrupt stop from us realizing that we weren't alone.

Speaking of Pop's, all of us were at a booth slurping milkshakes and smoothies. Jughead was the only one eating a fat juicy burger.

I crossed my arms, turned away from the conversation a little to observe the diner. My eyes followed the wavy neon lights lining the walls. I examined Pop frying up some of his world famous onion rings, humming some jazz tune a little too loudly.

Finally, my eyes wandered to a booth across the way, where another pair of eyes met mine.

My stomach dropped when I saw Derek.

Everyone had forgotten about him by now since he'd been laying low for a solid month and a half. He held his finger up as I jolted, about to instinctively grab Jughead.

My heart throbbed and my stomach churned as he held up one finger, him mouthing to me: "One more day." He then gave me a sinister smile before slapping his money on the table and exiting the diner.

Eyes wide like a deer in headlights, I slowly tuned back into the conversation Betty was having about their plans for winter break, which had started today. It was a three-week break since so much snow blocked the roads each winter.

I couldn't stay here any longer knowing that someone was going to get hurt. My nerves grew to their peak, my vision shaking, and my entire body quaking.

"I-I'm sorry," I shook my head quickly as I shifted out of the booth seat. "I can't take this anymore."

I quickly jogged out of Pop's, hearing Jughead hurriedly explaining to everyone what happened between Jughead and I earlier. It was a small argument, but he believed it was why I was upset, which it wasn't. As I made it to the middle of the parking lot, I heard Jughead holler "Catherine!"

I kept walking, hoping I would get away in time.

" _STOP!_ "

I halted, startled by Jughead yelling at me, which was something I've never seen him do.

I turned around, tears falling down my face. He walked towards me and touched my shoulder, to which I swiftly batted his hand away.

"What is your problem?!" He complained. "I've done my waiting, Jingles. I've waited and waited for you to let me help you and I've heard  _nothing_! Just, please.  _Please._ Let me help." He clasped his hands together, practically begging me.

"No," I shook my head, sniffling, taking a step backward. "You can't help me."

"I can. You just won't let me," he reached for my hand, which I moved away.

"Don't you get it?! I don't want your help anymore! I can't stand it here! I want to just leave and you're holding me back!" I shouted at him, trying to find  _any_  possible way for him to break up with me.

I could tell that I hurt him in some way, judging by the watery look in his eyes.

"Fine," he coldly said. "Why don't you just go then? Leave me. It wouldn't be the first time you did."

He turned around and walked away. I didn't want the conversation to end like that; I wanted him to regret ever saying that to me. He knew that I had no control in moving away from Riverdale last time, and he knew how much I regretted leaving — yet he throws that excuse at me?

" _I won't be coming back this time_!"

He stopped for a moment, about to turn around and beg me to stay. Instead of letting him win me over, I ran away in tears.

I cut through the woods before reaching my house. I was practically out of breath from running and crying heavily.

I burst through the front door to find that the lights in my house were turned off by no one being there. I ended up crying even  _louder_. My harsh breathing that were once clouds dissipated in the heated home, but I didn't feel comforted. I wished my parents were home to stop me. I wanted someone to  _really_  stop me. I wanted Jughead to come through my doors at that very moment I prepared a pen and two papers to write on later. 

Jughead hurt me, but I understood that I deserved it for damaging his emotions in any way. I definitely didn't deserve him then, and I wasn't going to deserve him afterward either. The fact that this may be it for Jughead and I was the most heart-wrenching part of all of this mess.

I went into the freezer and grabbed a tub of ice cream and carried it around with me, eating it feverishly as I located my belongings. In between bites, I let out a loud sob, knowing that nobody could hear me in this lonely two-story home.

I grabbed my suitcase in the darkness of my room, placed it on my bed, loosely folding my clothes and put them away, along with my shoes and other hygienics. The sunset was the only light I had throughout the whole home, which gave the entire scenario a strange feeling. It felt as though time was at a stand-still and I had all the time in the world to leave. As if it were the only answer.

I put away the ice cream once I was fully packed and threw some extra food in my backpack, about five ramen noodle cups and some chips, which was the only thing available in the kitchen besides spices and seasoning and such.

After shouldering my bag, throwing on a fresh pair of comfortable clothes, and putting the suitcase in the back of my car, I found myself in the kitchen once again with two fully written letters in front of me. I folded them and wrote on the back "Mom & Dad" and "Juggy".

As for the letter for my parents, I wrote this:

" _Dear Mom & Dad,_

_If you're wondering where I am, I do not know. Please don't be mad._

_The reason for my leaving isn't because of either of you. Both of you are the best parents in the world. I'm leaving because of my own personal problems I need to work out, and going away will help me come back with a clear conscience._

_Sincerely,_

_Catherine_ "

With that, I left the letters out in the open. I ended up taking out $500 from my savings in my room for gas and a hotel fee. These past two months I saved up to leave at this exact moment. 

Having everything set up, I was ready to go.

I got behind the wheel and let the roads take me wherever they may.

 

* * *

 

" _I won't be coming back this time!"_

The words pained me so deeply that I couldn't keep walking away. I contemplated on what I was going to say to her. I imagined pleading with her, offering her whatever she wanted, or even to just yell at her so she wouldn't leave.

Before I could make a decision, I turned to see her disappear into the woods, knowing that there was no finding her in there.

I took a hard swallow before turning back towards Pop's, walking back inside. I sat down at the table as everyone looked at me sympathetically.

"She's gone," I announced, sitting beside Betty instead of Catherine.

Betty gave me a caring pat on the back as everyone looked and sighed.

"I'm sorry, buddy," Archie shook his head. "If it makes you feel better, you did nothing wrong. If anything, it was her."

"Yeah, but you don't know what she might be going through," Betty defended.

"It was still a bitchy move," Kevin remarked, scoffing a little. Betty sent him a scolding look, to which he retaliated with: "Hey! I'm just saying that Jughead went through a lot with her too. He got beaten to a pulp and she just ups and leaves?"

"Hey. I'm  _right_  here," I reminded the two of them.

Kevin and Betty simply glanced at me, but continued to talk as if I wasn't there.

"And all  _I'm_  saying is that Cath went through a traumatizing experience. An abusive relationship. She knows that Jughead loves her, so there must be a good reason for her to push him away all of the sudden," Betty analyzed Catherine's behavior like a psychiatrist.

"Wait. So you think she isn't mad at me?" I looked at Betty, a spring of hope surging through me. I thought that she wanted nothing to do with me, but I could be wrong!

Betty shrugged. "I've known Cath about as long as you have. She doesn't do things without reason. I think that maybe you should give her some space for right now and talk to her later on. She's obviously dealing with something none of us know about."

I just nodded, thinking to myself in the span of a few seconds. I should've been more considerate to her needs and stepped away, while at the same time asking about her life and how she's been holding up. I hadn't coddled her over the acts of violence that occurred the past few months, with both her and I. Similarly, I also regretted not seeing the signs sooner; her pushing me away from her life.

"I could've-"

Veronica raised her finger and her brows. "Jughead! No. You did exactly what you had to. You confronted her about it and let her know that you were there to help. You can't stop her from denying your help."

"Hey, man. If you want, we can get that new game that you've been talking about and play it at my place tonight. A boys night," Archie nudged my arm a little.

I couldn't help but to smile a little and scoff. I  _had_  really wanted to play that game. "Alright. I'll come over after I stop by Catherine's to apologize."

With all of that, everyone changed the topic to lighter items such as continuing Betty's train of thought on what she was going to do for winter break. The rest of us had barely any plans considering the dire state of Riverdale, with the heat of Jason Blossom's murder burning through the core of the town's spirit.

Perhaps Catherine  _was_  being selfish. She knew that my dad was beginning to be accused by people of murdering Jason. At least I  _thought_  she knew. Amidst of all of the silence between us, that topic could've completely slipped through the cracks even though it was a significant part of my life.

As I thought of all of this, it felt as though a brick had hit my head. I truly didn't know what was going on with Catherine, and vice versa.

After conversing with the gang, we all separated in our own ways. I walked through the woods, knowing where her house was. Walking through the woods felt calming; the chirps of crickets and creaks of wood filling the air, devouring my thoughts.

As I made it to her house, I could see that her car no longer remained parked in the lot. I found it odd until I saw both of her parents through the front window that peered into the kitchen. Her mom was sobbing in her palms as her father comforted her.

My immediate thought was that she had killed herself. It was an impulsive thought considering that her car was gone, but I knew something horrible happened.

I rushed up the front steps and hurriedly knocked on the door. Her father opened it, surprised to see me.

"Jughead? What are you-"

"Is she okay?" I cut to the chase, knowing I wouldn't be able to stand her being gone.

"We don't know. Come in," he gestured, stepping aside. I walked past him as he closed the door behind me. Catherine's mom saw me and stood up with a relieved sob. It was strange seeing Mrs. Bell in such a mess; her hair falling out of her short ponytail and her skin tinted red from sobbing and her entire face damp from both tears and her runny nose.

"Oh, Jughead! I'm so glad you're here. She's  _gone_!"

She wrapped me in her arms as I pat her back, not knowing what she meant by "gone."

"We don't know what happened, but she just took her car and left," her father explained. My body practically melted into her mother's arms in relief, before quickly stiffening.

"Wait," I stood beside Mrs. Bell. "She just left without a trace?"

"Well, she left some letters. Two actually. One of them is for you, and we haven't opened it yet. It's actually convenient that you came by," her father told me, before quickly turning to the kitchen counter to grab two pieces of paper. "I only regret not spending more quality time with her. I feel like we caused this because of how much we aren't home, you know? And this whole Derek thing... we could've handled better."

I didn't like seeing her usually stone cold father so vulnerable and sensitive. I couldn't help but feel it was also my fault for not chasing her into the woods and stopping her.

He handed a sealed envelope to me with "Jughead" written with a girly cursive on the front. Reading it, I could hear her voice in my head saying my own name to me. It sent me the chills. The fact that she's only been gone for about an hour and I already hear her voice terrified me for the days to come without her.

I loved her. She was my shelter from all things bad in the world. I probably forgot to tell her about my dad because I got so lost in her. She was my distraction, my mornings, my nights, and most importantly, my life. Without her, I didn't know what was going to face me in the near future.

I took a shallow breath, opening the infamous letter that would ruin me.


	26. False Promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter? oof. ouch.

** Hour 1 **

**Saturday**

**Dec. 17th**

_Dear Jughead,_  
  


_I am so sorry. None of this is your fault. This catastrophe is all because of my past following me and hurting others around me._

_You are the best boyfriend I have ever had, and with that said, you don't deserve to be hurt. You didn't deserve being beaten up, and I realized it that night._

_My plan was to grow distant from you so I could leave without any pain, but that obviously didn't work out. I didn't mean what I said, and if all goes well I should be back after the 18th (refer to folded note with list)._

_I received that note by Derek as you were recovering at Fred's, and decided against saying anything to not stir up panic and paranoia._

_If anything does happen, please let that person know that I'm sorry._

_And Jughead, I truly am sorry._

_I'm sorry that I did end up leaving you yet again. I hate doing this to you since you're the last person I want to hurt._

_I love you. I'm sorry._

_Catherine_  
  
  


I blankly stared at the letter and then looked at the accompanying list. My chest felt as though someone had shot my heart at point blank range. I took a few steps back, before folding up the list and tucking it into my pocket. I found my mouth slightly agape as I tried to process it all.

"Jughead?"

I whipped my head around, thinking that I heard Catherine. Unfortunately, it was just her mother, also heartbroken.

"Would you mind if we had the letter to analyze, just in case she says anything important?" she questioned, which wasn't surprising since she was a detective.

I nodded, before saying: "She mentions a list in there but it wasn't in the envelope. Was it in yours?"

"No?" She raised her brows slightly. "Was it important?"

I shrugged, stepping towards the front door. "I'm sorry, but I just..." I felt my throat close up. In a broken voice, I finished the sentence. "I have to be alone."

I ran out of the house with my hand covering my mouth, trying to conceal my sobs. I eventually found the woods again and pressed my back against the tree before sliding down, the bark catching onto the fabric of my plaid jacket

I cowered my head between my knees, allowing myself to cry in seclusion. After staying there, wallowing for an unknown amount of time, I finally stood back up and pushed myself off of the tree.

I didn't know what to do with myself. All I knew was to blankly stare at the distant lights of buildings through the wooded area, rubbing my sore damp eyes as I sniffled. My shallow breath quickly turned into a fog from the frigid air.

Suddenly, I remembered that I was supposed to go to Archie's to play a video game. I could care less about the game at this point, and just wanted to sleep it all away.

I went to Archie's anyway, knowing that I couldn't keep this list to myself like Catherine did.

After freely walking into the house, I ran up the steps to Archie's room and closed the door behind me, not knowing if he was in there or not.

"Jughead?" He stood up, worried.

"She left," I told Archie, with an accidental tone of anger. Was it accidental? I couldn't decipher what emotions I was feeling at that moment.

"What do you mean she left? Like she left the house when you came?" He questioned, seeming worried.

"She left Riverdale. She's gone. Her car is gone, her things are gone, and I don't know if she's coming back any time soon," I fretted, pacing back and forth in the room.

Archie gripped my shoulders and forced me to sit down. "Slow down! Tell me everything."

I spilled everything. The letter, the reason as to why she was behaving the way she was, her crying mother and frightened father, it all fell out of my mouth easily. I handed him the list and rested my head into my palms, supported by my elbows resting upon my thigh. I then looked down at my shoes as Archie examined the note.

"December 18th? That's tomorrow!" Archie glanced over to me.

"She said if nothing happens then she'll be back after the 18th, but-"

"No buts, Jug," Archie placed a supportive hand on my shoulder. "If she said that then she'll come back. She probably bailed town for a little while to clear her mind."

"Exactly! She left Riverdale. She's going to spend her night in a car, in the middle of a foreign town, with creeps lurking all around her!" I shook my head and looked at Archie with my bloodshot eyes. "You don't get it. She said if nothing happens. What if one of us gets hurt? She won't come back."

I buried my head in my palms again.

"She's not going to come back."

"Hey! Stop talking like that, Jughead. We'll keep an eye out tomorrow and make sure everyone is okay. Then we'll see what happens after that. It's all going to be fine," Archie assured me, rubbing my back slightly.

I took a deep breath and sat up, then looked at Archie. "Okay," I confided. "I believe you."

Archie grinned slightly, before patting my back again and standing up. "Now let's go get that game. You definitely need it tonight."

I decided that it was better to let myself cut loose and try to relax in amidst all of this confusion and uncertainty.

I felt as though Catherine would rather have me relax like this instead of curling in bed and wallowing in self-pity.

** 1 day after Catherine's Disappearance **

**Sunday**

**Dec. 18th**

Both Archie and I sat in our beds calling  _everyone_  we knew. It was awkward since we had to make it seem like we were genuinely interested in what they were up to. Veronica droned on and on about how she felt her dad, Hiram, had a link with Jason's murder.

As valuable information as it was, it didn't pertain to what I was investigating.

Archie and I both set our phones down and looked at each other for anything.

"No one got hurt on my end," he told me.

"Nor mine," I perked up, realizing that Catherine would come back the next day. I hurriedly pulled up Catherine's contact and texted her.

 **Me:** Hey! I know I might be the last person you want to see in your messages, but it's the end of the 18th and no one is hurt. This means you can come back :) I really miss you and I hope we can talk everything over when you do come back. See you soon!

"Bro. How come you type so much nicer to her compared to me?" Archie looked over my shoulder. I locked my phone and gave him a judging glare. "Look. All I'm asking for is a smiley face and a few exclamation points once in awhile. Is that too much to ask?"

"You're certainly pushing it," I laughed a little. I couldn't stay angry knowing that she would come back tomorrow. "I'm going to sleep so I'm a few hours closer to seeing my girlfriend. Is that cool with you?"

"Fine by me. I wish I could take advantage of this... happy Jughead," Archie joked around.

I crawled under the covers as Archie turned out the light. "You'll have all day tomorrow to take advantage."

With that, I closed my eyes and fell asleep. I ended up waking up later than I normally would since I wanted to be as close as I could to see Catherine. I absolutely could not wait to see her.

I ended up getting dressed and ready to go to Catherine's house, which I would then go to my dad's house to grab my laptop bag.

Upon walking up to the house, it was close to dusk, and there was no sign of her car. Judging by that, I could tell she wasn't back yet and frowned, wondering how far she had gone and how long it was taking her to come back.

I let it go hesitantly, wanting to believe she was coming back.

After walking past her home, I made it to my own to find that my dad wasn't home. It was a strange surprise since on a typical Tuesday night he's be eating pizza and getting drunk alone.

I grabbed my laptop bag, slightly relieved I didn't have to converse with my dad, hating him when he's drunk. I passed Catherine's house again to see that the car still wasn't in the driveway. I walked a little faster, growing more anxious as the sun slid down the horizon.

I made it to Pop's instead and began typing my story, which I hadn't done in a while. I updated the book on Jason Blossom's murder mystery and Veronica's interpretation.

After spending a solid hour or two inside pops, I received a cellphone call from an unknown number. I quickly answered, expecting it to be Catherine at a pay phone or somewhere bizarre.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hey, Jughead," I heard my dad reply to me in a grave tone. "Don't get freaked out now, okay?"

"Why? What happened?" I asked, stopping my typing.

He took a deep breath and let out a sigh. "I'm in jail, Jug. I need you to send Harvey down to the jail so we can talk."

"What?!" I exclaimed, a little too loud and obvious for Pop's. My heart practically turned into a hummingbird, the tips of my fingers growing cold. My eyes became dewy, but remained tearless for the sake of making a scene at Pop's. I was furious, disappointed, but most importantly _—scared_.

"I don't have enough time on this call, Jug! Just do what I damn say, you hear-"

With that, the line cut off and I was left in my seat completely dumbfounded. After sitting for a good ten seconds, I tucked my phone away and turned off my laptop, sheathing it away in its respective case.

I bolted out of Pop's and had to pass Catherine's one last time since it was on the way to the Whyte Wyrm, where Harvey would most-likely be. I saw that her car still wasn't there, and the day was nearing complete darkness.

Out of sheer curiosity, I pulled out my phone to see the message I sent. I found that she had read it an hour or so ago, but no reply.

I took a sharp breath, the pain returning to my chest. That was when I realized that she really wasn't coming back, and my life was beginning to make a steady decline just like the last time she left.

Last time, I lost my mom due to the divorce. Now I may lose my dad.


	27. Grief

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess I should probably mention that this story somewhat went along with season 2 (since at the time, SPOILER, FP was in jail and Jughead couldn't go to Toledo, so I guess it's lightly based off the show but not exactly a complete rewrite, ya feel?
> 
> But anyway, college has treated me a little better :) I'm excited for Riverdale to come out next month! By then the story should probably be done (because sometimes I'll think of an idea and then the show does it before I even publish my chapter, so I don't want S3 to do the same), but yeah! Enjoy ;)

** One Week After Catherine's Disappearance **

Sunday

Dec. 25th

I sulked on my way back home from school, as I had done every day this past week. My days felt duller and not worth-while with Catherine gone. Though school  _was_  out, I still occasionally slept in the cramped corner of the Janitors closet. I couldn't stand being home, alone, and I didn't want to inconvenience anyone else with my problems.

On top of all that, my dad had gotten accused of the murder of Jason Blossom, so I was essentially homeless and parentless. 

Everything around me was changing so quickly, and all of the signs were telling me that I didn't belong in Riverdale either. At least not the Northside. I should've been in the Southside, where the scrappy poor kid with a deadbeat dad belongs.

I even tried to go to Toledo, but my mom didn't seem to have room there. Yet another sign that I didn't belong there either.

I got to my dad's trailer to clean it up, knowing that I had thrashed it a mere few days ago once I discovered his arrest. It was also after I discovered my friends rummaged through my dad's trailer, trying to incriminate him even further.

Even my friends seemed to not be my friends anymore. Archie and Veronica went behind my back in all of this to snoop in my dad's trailer! It was all forgiven and in the past now, but I couldn't help but get angry and confused when I thought about it.

The janitors closet quickly became old. so I returned to my dad's trailer to be secluded from Riverdale, and the sinkhole it was crumbling into.

As I laid on the couch and watched cable, there was a knock on the door. It startled me, not expecting someone to come. My only thought was one of the serpents, or Sheriff Keller. Then, I had almost completely forgotten it was Christmas. I then assumed it could've also been carolers; though, they never came around the Southside.

Out of sheer curiosity, I opened the door to find it was neither; it was Betty. She gave me a bashful yet sympathetic smile. "Hey," she softly spoke, raising a bag of Pop's for me to see. "Merry Christmas."

"Hey," I breathed, a little surprised to see her. "C-come in. I was just watching T.V," I stepped aside.

"Oooh! What are you watching?" She asked, walking right in.

I closed the door behind her and turned around. "Uh, the news I guess. Instead of news, the weather woman is showing how to make the best apple pie for... today I guess," I spoke with fake enthusiasm.

She just laughed a little and sat down on the couch, pulling out a burger from the bag.

"Oh. You're staying."

She looked at me, before smiling slightly.

"I don't know," she sighed, looking down at her burger. "After Catherine left and your dad going to jail you've just been holed up in here, alone. Especially on Christmas. I thought you could use some company, but not too much."

"You know me so well," I smiled at her, taking a seat beside her before digging into the brown greasy bag. "I haven't eaten since yesterday."

"Jughead!" She scolded, her big blue eyes widened at me. "You need to take better care of yourself."

"It's too hard right now," I looked down at my burger, not even  _that_  hungry. "Catherine normally made sure that I ate and stuff."

Betty pat my shoulder, also seeming upset.

"I miss her too, Jug. She has to come back soon," she reminded me.

I looked at her, seeing that she was also staring at me.

I leaned in and kissed Betty, impulsively. She gave in slightly, before we pulled away in a panic. Both of our eyes were wide as we stared at each other with worry.

"I am  _so_  sorry," I apologized. "I don't know where that came from!"

"It's okay," Betty assured. "But it was wrong. You know that, right?"

I nodded rapidly, confused as to what overcame me. I would never cheat on Catherine, if we were even still dating.

"Jughead," Betty grabbed my arm to catch my attention. She gave me a look of sadness and pity, which I deserved after pulling that.

"I'm sorry," I repeated once more, to make it clearer.

"You're looking for Catherine in the wrong places," Betty flat out told me, rubbing her hand up and down my arm. "I can't fill her void. You have to fill it on your own. Besides, I broke up with  _you_. Remember?"

"Right," I nodded. "You're right. You aren't Catherine."

There was a silence in the room that ate away at my sanity.

"You can go- If you wanna of course," I told her, not wanting it to seem like she had a reason to stand her ground.

"I'm fine," she promised. "How about we finish our burgers and head to Pop's to see everyone? I know Veronica and Kevin miss you."

Ironically, after finishing our burgers from Pop's we walked to Pop's where everyone awaited us. Betty and I sat down, where Kevin immediately asked: "How are you holding up?"

"I'm alright. A lots happening in such a small amount of time is all," I blatantly said.

"No word on Catherine?" Veronica asked, earning another prize for "asking the wrong question at the wrong time" award.

I shook my head, leaning back in the booth.

"What do you think she's doing right now?" Archie asked, also contributing to the "let's break Jughead's heart even more!" competition.

I shrugged, not really thinking about it. "Judging by her communication, she's either dead like Brother Blossom, or she's taking a road trip around America and seeing new sights and living life to the fullest," I replied half sarcastically.

"Okay, guys. That's enough on that topic," Betty glared at them all. She began talking about the Jubilees coming up soon, which everyone spoke on besides me.

I sat there pondering—chin on hand— if Catherine was dead to the world or at least dead to me.

 

* * *

 

I walked down the long hall, flickering dim lights above me. I ran my fingers through my red hair, fixing my varsity jacket in preparation for the tense conversation I was about to have. I knew I shouldn't have been there, but I  _had_ to.

For Jughead.

He was in a bad condition and handling everything wrong. Talking about living in the Southside and such scared not only me, but the rest of our friends.

I decided to step up and visit the local jail, where I found F.P. sitting in his cell as he twiddled his thumbs, looking down at his feet.

I cleared my throat, making my presence known.

F.P. raised his head a little, before making a double take. He gave me a smile — a façade — hiding lord knows what in his head.

"Well if it ain't Fred's boy," he stood up, relieved to see some kind of familiar face. He walked towards the bars and gripped them tightly, yet having a loose stance. "Everything alright?"

"Yes, sir," I gave a quick nod, before hesitating slightly. "It's just that... well... Jughead might go to a foster family down in the Southside and he's talking about going to Southside high!"

F.P. exhaled, raising his brows in response. "That school's a tough place," he shook his head.

"He's been spiraling ever since Catherine vanished. It sucks and I hate seeing him like this. I need your help," I pleaded.

F.P. scoffed a little before going to sit down. He looked up at me with a different stare. Much more calm than fake.

"Hey, Jughead's a tough kid. Scrappy. A survivor. He'll make it." He stood up, remaining eye contact with me. Moving over to my side, letting his arms dangle from the door he said: "Especially if you're looking after him."

I took a hard swallow, not thinking of Jughead as my responsibility until that moment.

"And he'll try to pull away from you, try to disappear into himself. He needs his friends. That's why you and Betty gotta stick with him. No matter what."

I nodded, as if I was taking a vow. Then, F.P. said the most frightening warning, causing more concern to sprout within me.

" _He's got some darkness in him."_

** A Month After Catherine's Disappearance **

**Saturday**

**Jan. 14th**

I had waited, and waited, and hurt.

I watched as Jason Blossom's true killer had been revealed, how Christmas passed and I spent it alone, how I spent New Years with Archie, and the new semester approaching.

I went through trials, of going to Southside high, contemplating my own existence, wondering if life was worth living, and watching as my dad could possibly face a twenty-year sentence.

I blamed Catherine.

All of this was her fault.

The first time she left, I lost my mom. This time she left, I lost my dad.

This felt much worse considering I was completely on my own. At least I was until the Southside Serpents took me in as one of their own. They helped me move on from Catherine and learn how to take care of myself.

I'd be lying if I didn't think about her time to time, but she holds a special hate in my heart.

I hoped she'd never come back, that I'd forget her in due time and live my life as how I was supposed to. As a serpent.

I was still friends with the gang, but grew more distant with them compared to before her disappearance.

I found myself in my dad's trailer, once again watching television. The Serpent jacket warmed me up from the freezing cold outside, and the lack of heat from inside considering the electric bill not being paid.

In times like these, I wished that I had gone with that foster family instead of toughing it out on my own.

As I watched old Disney channel re-runs, my phone ended up ringing. I answered without looking at the caller ID, which was odd for me. I guess I stopped looking when I realized it wouldn't be Catherine.

_I couldn't be more wrong._


	28. Cold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of the chapter is convenient because I have a cold :) Finally! The mystery of Catherine is solved!

**Saturday**

**Jan. 14th**

Welcome to Riverdale!

_The town with PEP!_

As soon as I passed the familiar sign, I let out a breath of relief.  

I was careful driving on the winding road leading back to Riverdale. It felt strange coming back, as if I had been gone for years. In reality, it had only been about a month. I was blessed to have such a long winter break from the amount of snow this winter.

I had finally made it back and didn't have to worry about anyone being hurt anymore. I excitedly wondered about seeing my friends and my parents again, though seeing Jughead worried me. I needed to apologize repeatedly to make up for what I'd done, but even that probably wouldn't help my case.

I had gotten his texts at the beginning of the month, the first one telling me about how no one was hurt, then texts from every other day where he would ask me what happened, what went wrong, and if I was alive. I couldn't reply because there was barely any reception.

Upon leaving Riverdale, I found myself in a small town called Greendale just across Sweet-Water River. I ended up sleeping in my car since I was in a familiar safe town, and I didn't want to get a hotel quite yet.

After spending that first night in Greendale, I ended up driving down to a small beach town called Shellville.

I wandered around the town for the first week. No one was at the beach considering the nippy air. Astoundingly, there was barely any snow compared to Riverdale.

I found myself at another diner, the Shrimp Shack, not as good as Pop's of course, but it was my new hangout. I ate the food regularly until I found my money slipping away from me. After talking to the owner, Kyle, about my wild home life back in Riverdale, he gave me the opportunity to waitress for the shack. He knew it would only be temporary, but said: "I don't want to be the reason a sweet gal like you ends up on a wanted poster."

I loved working there. It allowed me to meet new acquaintances, customers, and finding that people aren't out to get me.

As fun as it was, it got lonely easily. I spent Christmas watching televised holiday movies on repeat in my room and spent New Years watching the ball drop alone. New Years happened only five days ago, and that night I realized I had nobody to kiss.

I missed Jughead, and regretted leaving Riverdale so abruptly instead of facing my problems head on.

I packed my bags, quit my job, bid my boss a farewell and a thank you hug before going homeward bound.

As I reminisced about my month experience, I was jolted forward by another car hitting my rear. It must've been hiding behind the Riverdale sign, considering that I remember no one being behind me. I slammed my fist on the horn, only to have the car speed up to my side and force me to swerve off the road, spinning on the ice so much that I nearly got sick.

Once the car came to a halt, my nose hit the steering wheel and began to bleed.

"Fuck!" I gasped, holding my throbbing nose. I looked in my rearview mirror to see a man get out of the car with a gun in hand. One of the first things I noticed was that big serpent on his leather jacket. I quickly grabbed my backpack at least before he came over and waved it in my face.

"GET OUT OF THE CAR!" The masked man shouted, swinging the door open and pressing the gun on my temple.

I began to cry, afraid of what he might do.

"Okay!" I sobbed, putting my hands up. I got out of the car, only to have him throw me onto the hard icy ground.

"Now count backward from sixty," he said, still pointing the gun at me.

"Fifty-nine... Fifty-eight..." I cried out.

He grabbed a fistful of my hair and pulled me back onto my knees, before kissing my cheek. I let out a big sob, disgusted from feeling his cold spit lingering on my face.

"Derek sends his regards."

He threw me back on the floor as I kept counting backward until he sped off with my car, then the second man in his car drove off with their vehicle.

I was left with nothing but my backpack which only had a few items in it. My suitcase was in the trunk of the car, which he essentially robbed from me.

I stood up from the floor, finding that there was blood everywhere. I cried, even more, remembering how he manhandled me with that gun.

I pulled out my phone, finding that I finally had reception even though I was still far out of town. I called my mom, only to have no answer. I then called dad, met with the same fate.

I looked at my third option, which was Jughead.

It would be a premature reunion, but it was  _so_  cold and I needed a way to get home or else I would get frostbite.

I called him, the phone ringing and ringing.

"Hello?" He answered, as if he didn't know it was going to be me.

"Juggy!" I cried out, thankful that he even answered.

"Catherine?!" He quickly replied. "What's wrong?"

"I'm a little past the town sign. Y-you know when you enter Riverd-dale?" I shivered, my teeth chattering.

"Yeah? Why are you there?" He asked, the tone of concern prominent.

"I got carjacked at gunpoint. It was from Derek's friend or something," I began crying even harder, knowing that no one could hear me out there.

"Okay. I'm coming. Hold tight."

With that, he hung up. I paced back and forth, a poor attempt to keep warm. I dressed a little too light for a snowy January day in Riverdale.

Eventually, the cold forced me to become tired, mostly because all of my energy went into panicking, crying, and shivering. I gave up on pacing and sat on the curb of the road with my arms crossed, watching as other cars pass by. As I sat, I lost feeling in my hands, face, and ears. I was jealous of them; they had heaters.

After roughly ten minutes I heard a loud motorcycle turn around the corner. I assumed it was just another passerby until the bike came to a halt, their kickstand planted on the ground

I stood on my two feet, thinking I was in danger again. That Derek wasn't done with me. That I shouldn't have come back to Riverdale.

Instead, I stood, breathless. Jughead pulled the helmet off of his head and held it by his side. He didn't give me one of his classic smirks or even a snarky remark.

I saw that serpent logo peeking from his backside, making me feel even colder.

Once he got off the bike, I took a step back, not knowing who I returned to.

He scoffed at me, seeming annoyed already.

"What? Are you going to leave again because of my stupid jacket?" He gripped the leather tightly before letting it go.

"The guys who carjacked me wore that jacket," I crossed my arms, turned away from him slightly. "I've been gone for a while. How do I know I can trust you?"

"I have to regain your trust now?" He raised a brow, finding this all silly.

"I'm not looking at Jughead right now," I harshly told him.

He looked down at himself and let his arms drop to his side, understanding where I was coming from. Then, he shrugged off his jacket and began walking towards me.

I braced myself slightly, but still noticeable. I closed my eyes only to feel a nice warmth surround me. Upon opening my eyes I found that he put his jacket on my shoulders.

"Come on," he waved me over before getting on his bike. "You're turning blue."

I looked at my hands to see that he was right about that. Not wanting frostbite, I shrugged on the jacket. I'd be lying if I didn't say it was comfortable. And it smelled just like him.

I walked towards him, the ground crunching beneath me. I threw on my backpack and got on the bitch seat. He handed me his helmet which I held up, confused.

"What about you?" I asked, still concerned for his safety.

"I'll be alright. Buckle up," he assured.

I quickly put on my helmet and stared at Jughead's back, hesitating again.

Not knowing how to be on a bike, I put my hands on his shoulders. I felt him laugh a little under my touch.

"No, no. You put your hands around my waist," He chuckled, gripping the handlebars as he waited for me to situate myself.

I placed my hands around his waist and held on tight, locking my hands together. He started his bike up and we took off.

He still felt incredibly warm which heated my hands up, causing me to hold him tighter. Riding towards Riverdale on a bike was so refreshing. The spruce trees guiding the path to Riverdale produced the cleanest air I have ever smelt. After seeing nothing but trees, my tiredness returned to me and I laid my head on Jughead's back. He stiffened slightly, not expecting it. After a few seconds he relaxed, which made me feel even more comfortable.

I knew I couldn't sleep on a loud moving motorcycle, but I wanted to hold onto this feeling.

After a few minutes of closing my eyes, I opened them to see that we were already in town. We were passing Thornhill mansion, still as eerie as a month ago.

I raised my head and looked at my surroundings, seeing how harsh the winter treated the town. It went from playful snowfall to inches of snow with slick roads and dead trees.

"This winter is really crazy, huh?" I said to Jughead, trying to make some idle conversation over the loud puttering of the engine.

"Yeah," he agreed. "I guess the town knew that you left."

I shrugged. "Or maybe global warming?"

We arrived a stoplight, which he halted to, and then turned to me with a quizzical look on his face along with that grin that I've missed oh so much.

"Where in the words 'global  _warming_  ' do you hear cold?"

I couldn't help but laugh a little, which he genuinely laughed too.

"It's been a hard day, okay? Cut me some slack," I said, jokingly.

"Only a hard day? Try twenty-five hard days," he faced forward, which the light conveniently turned green. I jolted back a little as he hit the gas, making our way closer to home.

_Home._

_Oh god! I'll get grounded for eternity!_

Once Jughead pulled down my road I hollered: "Hey, why don't we go to Pop's first?"

He pulled off to the side of the road, mostly since this street was never busy.

"Why?" He asked, turning back to me.

I pulled my hands away from his waist and played with them, trying to explain myself. "I dunno. My parents are going to be so mad and I really wanted to talk to you and catch up with you. I want to know what happened."

I looked at him pleadingly, to which he sighed.

"As much as I'd love to hear your explanation, I think it's best that you see your parents first. Your mom... well, she's lost her spark. And your dad isn't nearly as stone hard as before. It's weird. They really need you," He sincerely told me.

My heart sank into the pit of my stomach, but I nodded nonetheless. He almost started his bike again until I quickly took his shoulder.

"Wait!"

He stopped everything he was doing and quickly looked at me. We made eye contact, which hurt me for some reason. It showed that he at least still cared, even if he  _was_  being cold towards me—which I rightfully deserved.

I cleared my throat, my eyes darting downward. "Would you mind coming with me? Or at least wait outside?"

He let out a huff of air, a visible cloud forming from it. "I'll go with you, but you gotta ditch the jacket before you see them. They haven't heard from me since two weeks ago. I've heard about them though."

I nodded eagerly, willing to do anything for him to stick to my side.

He started his bike again before trailing a little way down the road, before pulling up to my house. I hopped off the bike and took off the jacket, which Jughead took and placed it on his seat.

We both walked up the steps, leading up to the door. I began shaking, not knowing what sort of punishment I would have to endure.

Upon knocking on the door, a few seconds passed by. The door finally creaked open to my dad, seemingly tired and drained from both napping and all other hell he was going through. His eyes widened as he blinked a few times.

Without saying a word, or skipping a beat, he threw his arms around me and pulled me into a rough hug, squeezing me so hard that I was about to pop.

"Hi, Dad!" I laughed, beginning to cry. I could also feel him crying with relief and happiness, which was completely out of character for my dad.

"Oh my god!" He breathed, his voice raspy. "Your mother and I were so worried!"

I then heard a scream before being tackled again, then feeling about a million kisses per second on my face.

"Hi, Mom," I greeted, feeling as though I was going to pass out.

They both let go of me as I returned to Jughead's side, breathing harshly from the cold and claustrophobia.

"Come in! Come in!" Mom waved us over. "I'll make some hot chocolate and heat up some cinnamon rolls!"

I looked at Jughead, hoping he'd bare with me. He didn't hesitate walking in hearing about those cinnamon rolls.

I smiled, relieved that everything was slowly falling back together again—even though I knew it'd be a long road to recovery between me and everybody else.


	29. Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> College is kicking my ass right now with homework and exams, but enjoy reading nonetheless :')

**Saturday**

**Jan. 14th**

I took a hefty bite of the large toasty cinnamon roll in my hands. Looking up, I saw everyone stare at me with bated breath, expecting to hear a wild tale, so I gave one to them.

"Well," I chewed. "I guess I should start off with me being pregnant."

My dad slammed his palm on the table along with Jughead, both exclaiming loudly "WHAT?!" as my mom gasped and covered her mouth, eyes wide.

I looked at them all with a surprised stare, a smile slowly creeping on my face. "Woah! Geez, guys. Cut me some slack!" I laughed a little. "I'm not pregnant."

My dad looked at me with pure anger which drilled into me. My smile quickly faded, seeing that it wasn't the time to joke.

I cleared my throat quickly. "Sorry. Uh... so I took off with no idea where I was gonna go..."

I told them  _everything;_  from the wacky conversations, I've had with the most interesting people, working my first job at a diner, all the way to coming home.

"I was going to come home by the time school was about to start anyways. I just needed to get away because of that list," I looked at Jughead. "I didn't want to worry anyone with it."

"List?" My Mom questioned, confused. Both her and my dad turned to Jughead for answers, to which he opened his mouth, unable to speak for a moment as he tried to form his story.

"Uh, I was going to show you guys. I swear! I was expecting someone to be crossed off the list when I would tell you guys, but no one was hurt and it slipped my mind," Jughead tried to justify himself, before looking at me for help.

"It's fine. It's not a big deal anymore," I dismissed it all. "Listen! Can I go take a shower real quick? I haven't had a decent one since I left."

"Well sure, dear!" My Mom smiled at me.

I looked at Jughead, who looked back at me, not knowing what to do. I could tell he didn't want to be alone and be potentially chewed out for that list by my dad.

"Uh, Jug. I have some pictures I want to show you in the meantime. Come on," I waved him over.

Jughead quickly got up, taking his plate with a remaining cinnamon roll, and followed me up the steps. I brought my backpack with me, which held my camera.

Thankfully those assholes didn't take my bag away too. I would've been really sore over losing my camera.

I took out the SD card, filled to the brim with beach pictures and portraits of some interesting people I found along the way.

"You look through these, and when I come back then we can talk," I placed my hand on his shoulder, then handing him the SD card.

He took it without another word and inserted it into the computer. I grabbed a fresh pair of warm clothes, like my favorite olive green sweater and comfy loose pants. I went into the bathroom and took a hot shower, realizing how truly dirty I was. The soap in the hotels wasn't  _that_  amazing, at least compared to my girly shampoo and conditioner—scented with coconut and vanilla.

I got out of the shower, feeling as though I was reborn again. I styled my dark hair, making sure my waves wouldn't come out as frizzy. I then threw on my clothes and walked into my room to find Jughead looking at a picture of me on the beach. I had a timid smile since it was a selfie, and on that day I wasn't the only one at the beach. My hair was flying everywhere but thankfully not in my face during the shot.

Jughead turned to me with a frown on his face, but more of an angry disappointed stare. I closed the door behind me, not wanting my parents to hear whatever conversation we were about to have.

"What's wrong?" I asked, trying to not push him.

"Everything. Literally everything," he huffed, before turning back to the computer. "I just can't help but be mad. You left me, stuck in this stupid shitty town at one of the worst moments in my life, and while I was going through all of that you were taking a selfie on a beach. How do you think I feel?" He ranted, his voice stern and harsh.

I couldn't look him in the eyes, not able to face him like this. I didn't know what to say.

"I know. It wasn't fair-"

"Damn right it wasn't!" He raised his voice, making me flinch. He quickly lowered it, not wanting to alert my parents from downstairs, also noticing me react.

He let out a sigh and ran his fingers through his dark hair. I think that was the angriest I had ever seen Jughead, and I  _hated_  myself for it.

He turned away from me and back at the computer, closing the picture from our sight. I pulled my sleeves down to my palms, giving myself a sense of security.

"Jughead," I began, timidly. "I don't know what you went through, and I know we aren't going to go back to where we were for a long time, maybe even ever. But if I knew that you were about to go through the worst time of your life, I wouldn't have left.  _I swear_."

He remained turned away, letting the silence say everything. I left the room to put on a little bit of makeup before returning to see that the computer was completely turned off and he was on his phone.

Looking back up to see me, he said: "You ready?"

"Yeah."

With that, we jogged downstairs to find my mom and dad in the living room, an odd site considering usually one of them was at work.

"Hey, guys. I'm going to Pop's. I'll be back at around six. Okay?" I told them.

They looked at each other for approval, not knowing if I should leave or stay.

"Alright. But no later than six. Right, Jughead?" My father looked over at him with a stern dad glare, brow raised.

"Right, sir," he gave a slight smile, which faded when he looked back at me. He was the first to walk out. I could tell Jug was still upset with me, which was to be expected.

The two of us walked back into the freezing cold, feeling even worse than earlier. He picked his jacket off of his bike and shrugged it on, probably not helping to warm him up since it'd been sitting outside for more than thirty minutes.

We both got on the bike, me clipping on the helmet, wrapping my arms around him once again. We were off to Pop's.

Once we had arrived, it felt much different than before. There were slightly fewer people, and it was slow, possibly from the harsh winds and snow outdoors.

Jughead guided me to a more secluded booth in the back corner of Pop's. We sat across from each other, avoiding eye contact until the waitress came over.

"What can I get you two?" She beamed at us, notepad and pen at the ready.

Finally, we looked at each other. I then turned to her. "I'll have a hot chocolate please."

Quickly, she scribbled it down before looking at Jughead.

"Make that two. I'll have whipped cream on mine," he noted.

"Oh! Me too! And can I get some of those big marshmallows?" I added.

"Yeah. And that for mine also."

"Okay," she breathed, slightly overwhelmed. "So that's two hot chocolates with large marshmallows and whipped cream?"

"Yes," we both said in unison.

She tore out the paper and smiled at us. "I'll be right back with that."

Once she walked away, we felt comfortable enough to look at each other.

He twiddled his thumbs as I clutched my sleeves.

"Jughead... what happened?" I pleaded, wanting to know so I could help him in any way.

He took a deep breath, raising his brows. "Well, it all started when you left. That night, my father was accused of Jason Blossom's murder."

My eyes widened, placing my hands down on the table. "What?! He did it?!" I gasped.

"No!" He replied rather angrily. "Look. I need you to listen to me, okay? Just-... don't say anything until I'm done."

I covered my mouth and nodded, literally giving him my word.

He let out a deep breath before continuing.

"So my dad got sent to jail and I stayed with Archie for a while. The whole day, on the 18th, we called everyone on that list since  _you_  said that you'd come back if everyone was fine. I texted you and you read it. What happened?"

The silence between us was prominent, and I quickly pointed at myself, wondering if he wanted me to talk.

He rolled his eyes. "Yes."

I cleared my throat. "I, um... I won't lie to you. It was a mix of reasons. First of all, it was the beginning of winter break and I thought I'd cut loose a little. Second, I was afraid to come back. I didn't know if Derek would carry out his plan. And third, I knew you and my parents would be mad at me. I had also  _just_  settled down in Shellville. It was relaxing being by the beach and I haven't been relaxed in months."

The waitress returned, interrupting us with some hot chocolate.

"Here you both go! Two hot chocolates with giant marshmallows and whipped cream."

"Thanks," we said simultaneously, before turning back to each other.

"That's all I have to say. Anyways, continue."

Jughead blew on his hot chocolate and set it aside to cool, while I continued to blow on mine.

"After that, everything got worse. I left Archie's to stay at my dad's trailer, where I holed myself up for days until Betty came by..."

His eyes widened as he looked at me as if he had remembered something horrifying.

"What?" I asked, intrigued.

He rubbed the back of his neck, taking in a deep breath. "You're going to be mad at me."

"I won't," I assured him, wanting him to confide in me with anything that happened.

"Oh no. You will."

"Just tell me!" I begged, leaning closer with a slight grin.

He looked at me, almost pitiful. He exhaled.

"I kissed Betty."

My grin faded and I slowly leaned back into the cushion of the booth. "Oh."

Jughead saw how it affected me and was quick to defend himself. "It was all my fault. Betty was being really nice and it was the heat of the moment. She rejected it. So don't blame Betty at all. It was me."

I crossed my arms and felt my lips tremble as I tried my best to hold my tears. I let out a weak defeated laugh.

"You know, I told you I wasn't going to be mad. I didn't say anything about..." my voice began to fall apart just like my heart. "...being sad."  
  
I hid my face in my sleeves so he wouldn't see me like this.

"Hey, hey, hey," he softly said. I felt him sit beside me and pull me into his arms. "I'm really sorry. I am. I just didn't know if we were broken up or not. Hell, I still don't know. But I didn't feel anything for Betty when I kissed her. I was just looking for something to fill your void."

I kept quietly crying, still upset of course, but also because I missed Jughead holding me like this. I cried even more because I missed Jughead.

I quickly calmed down and wiped underneath my eyes so my mascara didn't look too smudged or runny. I raised my face from my sleeves and took my hot chocolate and quietly sipped it.

"Sorry about that," I tenderly spoke. "Continue."

Jughead left his arm around me and continued to talk, less mad than before. "Well," he sighed. "After that, I didn't talk to the gang. I still haven't seen them. I only saw Betty here and there since she wanted to make sure I was alright. The only other time I saw everyone was when we went to look for evidence to help save my dad and watch the video of Jason Blossom being murdered by his own father who-"

"Wait! Clifford Blossom killed Jason?!" I exclaimed.

"He hung himself too," Jughead added, finding my surprise amusing.

I sniffled, my eyes still wide in shock. "Wow. That's pretty low."

"Then while I was at home some serpents knocked on my door and gave me the jacket, telling me that I'm apart of the family. I had no one else, so I took it. Now I'm a serpent."

I gave a hesitant nod, not replying because of the large marshmallow in my mouth.

"Only a week or so ago, Archie's dad got shot  _right_  over there," he jabbed his thumb back towards some booths near the front door.

"What! Is he okay?" I turned to him with worry.

"He's fine. He was in a short coma a few days ago but now he's already moving about. Archie's a bit wigged out about it, of course. I saw him yesterday to see how he and Fred were doing," Jughead assured me. "And that's what you missed. That's how Riverdale nearly broke into two while you were gone, just like last time."

I looked down at my lap, not knowing how to react to all of this.

"I-... I'm never leaving Riverdale."

He scoffed. "What?"

"You heard me. I'm never leaving again. This is already so much. I mean, you're a serpent. Fred got shot. Jason's dad killed him! And I just  _left_  for the dumbest reasons!" I began to cry again. I felt so emotional today, mostly because that carjacking really shook me up. "I'm so sorry, Jughead!" I sobbed.

He brought me into a hug, letting me cry on his shoulder. After patting my back and shushing me, calming me down, I did calm down. I leaned on him as he still had his arm around me. We both drank our now cool hot chocolates quietly, looking at the snow fall outside as we thought to ourselves.

"So, when you left..." Jughead began.

I looked up at him, curious. "Hm?"

"Did you mean what you said?"

I shook my head. "Not a word. You?"

"I didn't mean it when I said you should go. That was the biggest lie I have ever told," he laughed a little.

"Good," I nodded. "Look. I... um. The past few months I was distant from you. It was a poor attempt at trying to make my leaving less painful for you but that probably only hurt you even more. I'm sorry for that too. But just so you know, it really hurt pushing you away when you were so patient and good."

"It's okay. As long as it wasn't ill-willed," he calmly spoke. His expression changed slightly, seemingly more solemn. "Are we still... you know."

"Together?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"I don't know," I gave a tired stare. "I want to though."

Jughead shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I'm in such a weird place right now. It's like, I'm so mad at you, but I missed you so fucking much."

"I know," I assured. "It's okay. We'll work on it. Nothing has to happen right now."

He agreed, and we were both relieved that we had reached a civil point.


	30. A New Day

**Saturday**

**Jan. 14th**

After eating at Pop's and catching up, Jughead brought me back to my house about five minutes before six, as promised to my parents.

I got off of the motorcycle, still feeling the adrenaline rush. The blood pumping through my veins warmed me, healing the cold. Jughead also got off the bike halfway until I stopped him.

"Oh, it's okay. I can walk inside on my own," I assured. I didn't want him to go through the trouble of going on an unnecessary walk.

He slowly went to sit back down in his seat, somewhat glad. "Alright. Well, now that I drive..." he gave a devilish grin. "Should I pick you up for school tomorrow?"

I smiled a little, looking at his bike. Riding it  _was_ fun... and it would be much less painful than walking in a winter so brisk as this one.

"Okay, sure," I shrugged. "What time?"

"Seven forty-five? Unless you want to go to Pops."

"Uh, let's skip Pop's for tomorrow, but maybe the day after?" I suggested, still feeling the effects of the burger in my stomach.

"Sounds good. I'll wait here until you reach your door then."

I found it strange at first until I realized it was because he wanted to make sure I got inside safe, even though it was a mere few feet away. I found the sentiment sweet and realized that despite all of these changes around us, Jughead still had a beating heart.

I walked up to the door and knocked, which opened almost immediately to my mom. Her nose was still red from crying earlier, her eyes puffy, but her smile lit up her face.

She looked past me to see Jughead, who she gave a wave to. He gave a slight wave back before starting his bike and speeding off to god knows where.

"Jughead is such a sweet boy," my mom watched as he disappeared down the road.

"Yeah," I agreed. "He's taking me to school tomorrow."

She gasped, guiding me inside."That's great!" She closed the door behind us. "I didn't plan for you to come home, obviously, so I'm working early tomorrow morning. The same goes for your father," she gave me a slight pat on the shoulder. "I'm going to take the whole week off after tomorrow though, and you and I are going to spend some quality time!"

I scoffed a little with a grin. "Mom, you really don't have to."

She smiled back at me, as if I was the most valuable thing in the world. "I know."

She led me into the living room and then turned to see my shocked expression as I oversaw the entire living room.

Presents filled the floor, some on the dingy yellow couch and some on the scuffed wooden table. My dad sat in his recliner chair, lowering his newspaper to see me.

"Merry Christmas, darling," he said to me lovingly.

_Darling? Since when does he call me that?_

My parents were acting a little  _too_  mushy around me, to the point where I felt like they weren't my parents, but some sort of weird imposters.

I sat on the couch — after moving some presents — and began opening them up. Several of them were from people around town, concerned citizens, and distant relatives who gained wind of the news of my disappearance.

I got things like makeup, teddy bears, jewelry, or even just plain money. I didn't really care much about the items, but the cards are what really hit me.  
  
  
  
  
  


**_Hey, darlin!_ **

_Heard you've been on a big adventure outside of Riverdale. When you read this, just know that my chocolate chip pancakes are waiting for you, sugar._

_\- Pop_  
  
  
  
  
  


**_Merry Christmas!_ **

_Actually, it may be belated by the time you get this. Just know that your mom and I are looking for you (if you're reading this then I guess we found you) haha._

_Enjoy!_

_\- Sheriff Keller_  
  
  
  
  
  


**_Dear Catherine._ **

_I know I don't know you but I hope you like makeup!_

_\- Dennis (From the Newspaper)_  
  
  
  
  
  


A lot of them were from strangers, but it still meant a lot that so many were affected by my vanishing act; that my existence mattered.

I saved all of the cards, after crying a little — which my parents were quick to hug and comfort me for — and placed them in my room, in my closet, on the highest shelf so if I ever felt bummed I could read them.

I recouped with my parents downstairs since they wanted to watch a movie with me: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. It didn't surprise me since my parents watch this movie constantly, but have never sat me down to watch it with them.

It was a nice bonding moment, with us laughing at each funny scene and commenting on Steve Martin and John Candy's works and jokes.

By the end of the movie, it was almost ten o'clock and I felt exhausted. I climbed up the stairs and crawled into bed. My sweet, sweet bed. It was one of the many things I missed. The fluffy blanket gave me a nice "welcome home" hug, first cold, then slowly to warmth. My head sank into my marshmallow pillow, another thing I missed. The motel I stayed in was a cheap one, which meant thin blankets and brick mattresses.

I stared at the ceiling, somewhat helpless. Despite the complete comfort I was in, I was unable to stop thinking about Jughead. Every time my thoughts drifted, they ended up going back to him, as badly as I wanted to rest my aching body from the tolls of the long day.

With little effort to resist the urge, I gave in and grabbed my phone.

 **Me:**  oh my gOD my parents have been so clingy and weird. I expected it but not this much attention! Lol. A lot of people also gave me presents and cards :)

 **Jughead:**  I'm not surprised tbh. I'll have to tell you how they were the day you left. Did you get any presents you liked?

 **Me:**  A new camera lens, some makeup, and my dad got me a new laptop!

 **Jughead:**  WHAT?! What kind??

 **Me:**  Mac ;)

 **Jughead:**  Better than my shitty 2012 computer...

I giggled and smiled into my covers so my parents wouldn't barge in and make sure everything was okay. Any odd noise could set them off.

We talked about happier things, like what everyone else was up to and what the two of us did to pass time without each other.

I ended up falling asleep texting, my world going black.

**Monday**

**Jan. 16th**

I heard the creaking noise of my door opening, and I sprung up to find Jughead standing in the doorway. "I tried knocking but you weren't answering," he said, his face full of concern.

I gasped and looked at my phone to see it was on silent from our late night texting affairs.

"Oh shit! I didn't set my alarm!" I cursed, flying out of bed. "I'm going to be so late!" I then quickly turned to Jughead and took his leather jacket by the zippers. " _You're_ going to be late!"

He gave me a coy smile, watching as I rambled.

I spoke rapidly, saying: "How about you go without me and I'll just walk in late. I don't want to be the reason you get an absence on the first day back from break. I'm so stupi-"

He laughed a little at my panicked state, gently taking my shoulder. "Woah, woah, woah. Take it easy! I don't care if I'm late. I don't mind waiting around for you."

"Really?" I looked up at him, surprised but also grateful. "I really don't know how you put up with me sometimes."

"Honestly? I don't know either," he shrugged with a slight sigh.

I just smiled at him, letting go of his jacket. "Do you mind picking an outfit for me? I take too long."

"Sure. What are you going to do?"

"Brush my teeth and throw on some quick makeup," I began to walk out of the room. "Pick something warm!" I hollered back.

After locking myself in the bathroom for ten minutes, I went into my room to find my outfit laid on my bed.

Light blue skinny jeans, white tee, and a leather jacket. I was confused since I didn't own a leather jacket. I turned to Jughead who was just grinning as he watched with amusement.

"Merry Belated Christmas."

My mouth dropped as I looked back at the jacket, then back at him.

He nodded to the outfit and said: "Try it on. I'll wait out here," before closing the door behind him.

I quickly threw on the outfit and slid into the leather jacket, which fit like a glove. Thankfully it didn't have the serpent logo on the back, which practically goes against dress code in Riverdale High.

I opened the door to have Jughead look up from his phone. I gave him a wide smile.

"Is it comfortable? I guessed your size," he told me, shocked that it actually fit.

"It's perfect. Thank you, Juggy."

I walked up to him and gave him a hug, also noticing that he didn't have his serpent jacket on either. It was a plain leather jacket.

_We were a matching couple._

We pulled away and looked at each other's faces for a moment, missing feelings like these.

"We're going to be late," I told him softly, placing my hand on his chest.

"Then let's go."

With that said, we left the house and hopped on the bike. He gave me his helmet, as usual, and sped down to the school. We got there in the nick of time; the first bell rang. Jug and I hopped off the bike and I let him show me how to buckle down a helmet. We both paced towards the school, still not wanting to be late.

Upon walking in, despite everyone's hurry to class, some stopped once they saw Jughead and I. I just realized that the school hadn't seen Jughead since the beginning of break, and everyone hadn't heard of my return.

We both looked like absolute wonders.

It also reminded me of when we first got together, except we weren't together. We were anything but.

"Would you look at that. You're practically the talk of Riverdale High," he joked.

"Hah! It's you too, Juggy."

"Hey. I may be dressed different, but I wasn't the one that went missing for three weeks and left the town to believe that you were murdered by the Black Hood."

"Black Hood? Who's that?" I questioned.

The second bell rang, which caused everyone to scurry into their classes. Jughead swiftly took my arm and made us take a sharp turn into our first period.

"I'll explain later," he quietly assured.

I looked to find even more people staring at us in shock and wonder. I started to dislike the attention when I noticed some people whispering to each other and giving judging glances.

"Catherine. A pleasure to hear that you're back," the teacher smiled at me. I gave a small nod, still looking around the classroom. Jughead placed his hand on my back and guided us to our desks, where we normally sat together before break. It was in the far back so we could quietly talk without being yelled at.

As the teacher droned on and on about schoolwork, I saw a few people try and be sly, looking over their shoulders before quickly looking back. Some cracking their back, twisting around to get a good look.

They were all painfully obvious, and I wondered why they were so interested.

"I'm starting to feel uncomfortable," I breathed, glancing at Jughead.

"Don't be. It'll all blow over by tomorrow. The teenage mind has a short attention span," he grinned.

I shifted in my seat, unable to listen to the teacher because of my thoughts screaming in my head.

" _Catherine_!"

I snapped out of my trance and looked at the teacher. Everyone turned, eyes wide and attentive to my every move.

"What did you get for Christmas?" She asked. I assumed she had been asking around the class as a warm up from the winter break.

I felt my chest tighten. "A laptop."

"Probably from some man-slut she slummed it with while she was missing," some girl whispered to her friend.

There were some other whispers around the room, causing me to freeze up.

"I got a bike," Jughead mentioned, diverting the attention to him.

"That's cool, Mr. Jones! I hope you're driving safe on that," the teacher gave a kindred smile, before looking upon her next victim.

Slowly but surely, the class began to forget about me and listen to other people.

Jughead patted my back in support.

"Just focus on getting through the day," he begged. "It'll be smooth sailing tomorrow."

I nodded, thankful that Jughead was here to prevent my inevitable breakdown.

The next class wasn't so easy, and neither was the one after it. If anything, it kept getting harder; seeing my friends stare in shock and concern. Betty tried talking to me, only to get scolded by the teacher. Veronica talked  _too_  much and was moved seats temporarily. Archie kept quiet and Kevin also couldn't shut up, but he also couldn't stop hugging me.

Then, it all came crashing down around me at lunch.


	31. Revelation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> KSNIFHOSDJ IM SO SORRY I FORGOT TO POST THE REST OF THE CHAPTERS!!!! College beat me UP so BAD but I have a whole month off!!! and my last finals are tomorrow! So I'll post two chapters at a time to hopefully get through this since I have other works I wanna focus on.
> 
> Thank u for being so patient!!

**Monday**

**Jan. 16th**

Jughead and I walked towards the lunch tables, where I saw everyone chatting. I wasn't too sure if they were eagerly or angrily chattering.

Once we arrived at the table, I was met with a gigantic hug from Kevin as he squealed: "CATHERINE!"

It was the girliest thing I had ever seen him do, but I was still grateful. I couldn't help but laugh and hug him back even tighter.

Once he finally let go, I was met with everyone else, who seemed to be happy about my return.

"I'm glad to see you back, Cath," Archie said with a slight smile.

"Yeah," I nodded, finding that I was shaking intensely. "I'm glad to be back," I forced a smile.

I was happy! I really was. But the sheer fact that I left such good friends made me feel guilty, and that guilt outweighed that happiness. I felt as though I didn't deserve to be happy. I deserved them to hate me. I was still relieved nonetheless that they weren't, proving the fact that I didn't deserve them.

"So...?" Veronica leaned forward, raising her eyebrows as she gave a quizzical smirk. "Spill the deets. Where did you go?"

I sat down and ran through the whole story, from leaving Riverdale all the way to running into Jughead. As I told my wild tale, everyone was responsive with questions and reactions, besides Betty. She was smiling and nodding, but I could tell that she was distant. Probably because of her and Jughead having their kiss, which I wasn't mad at her for. Although, I did feel as though we should talk about it.

At the end of my storytelling, Kevin leaned close to me and said a little too loudly: "So what about you and Jughead?"

"Kevin. I can  _hear_  you," Jughead shot a glare at Kevin.

I looked around to see that everyone was genuinely interested, their eyes wide as they looked between Jughead and I. I then looked at Jughead, who also seemed lost.

"We're uh, taking a break," I said. "Right? Is that what it is?"

"Something like that," he gazed at my eyes, then at my lips, and back to my eyes. Chills went down my spine, but it could've been anything. I probably had something in my teeth.

I looked at everyone for a reaction, to which they seemed content with me and Jug's situation. I didn't know why I needed so much validation from all of them. Maybe it was because I didn't want to disappoint them any more than I already had.

The bell rang, and all of us got up and left. Jughead went ahead with Archie, while Betty caught up with me.

"Hey," she gave a slightly uncomfortable smile. "Can we talk? After school?"

I nodded. "Yeah! Sure!" I returned the same uncomfortable smile.

With that, we both quickly walked away from each other.

After going to the rest of my classes, I let Jughead take me home on his bike.

Once I got off, I took off his helmet and handed it to him. "Thanks for the ride. I l-"

I caught myself mid-sentence, one that could've made things more uncomfortable.

"I leave you with a good afternoon," I saved myself, even though it was a little too obvious that I almost let the L-word slip.

"And I leave you with a good night and a farewell," he gave a slightly defeated smile.

With that, he put on his helmet and turned forward, kicking up his bike stand and revving his engines. I walked up to my house, and once I reached the front door, he sped off.

I walked inside to find that it was dark, which wasn't uncommon. On the fridge was a note.

_Sorry, we're not home!_

_We should be home late, but if you're hungry there's some Tostitos in the freezer._

_Also, we found your car! It was off the road near Sweetwater River, and in normal condition! Your keys are on the counter_

_Text us if you're going anywhere._

_\- Mom & Dad_

I sighed, not feeling like texting my parents my exact location all the time. I couldn't blame them, but it didn't mean I had to like it.

I texted my mom that I was going to Betty's to do homework, to which she quickly replied with a thumbs up emoji.

I chucked my backpack up the steps, too lazy to run up to my room.

There wasn't much inside from the new semester so it was easy to toss.

With that, I turned my heel and went out the door. Instead of driving, I decided to take a brisk winter walk thinking it would clear my mind. It was way too cold to have a "nice" walk. I couldn't start jogging either in fear of falling.

After the longest fifteen minutes of my life, I had finally made it. I texted Betty.

 **Me:**  Hey. I'm outside ur house :)

 **Betty:**  K

Oof! A capital K? At least it wasn't a K with a period.

The door opened to Betty herself, who gave me the same uncomfortable smile she's been giving all day. I fired back with the same smile, again.

"You must be freezing!" She stepped aside, allowing me to step in. First, I kicked my boot against the door frame, allowing the snow to fall off of the soles. It would've been rude to track all of the dirt and water inside.

"I thought it was a good idea going for a walk, but it wasn't," I gave a pained laugh. I rubbed my hands together before blowing my warm breath into them. I walked inside and closed the door behind myself, not wanting the cool air to taint the perfect temperature inside.

"I have some hot chocolate if you want. I could go for some, to be honest," she glided over to the kitchen.

"That would actually be the best," I sighed with relief, before looking around. "Is your mom at work?"

"Yeah. Oh, and dad got out of jail too. Everything's patched up for the most part," Betty assured. "Wow. A lot really  _did_  happen when you were gone."

I sat down on her couch, which wasn't too far from the kitchen. I felt incredibly fatigued from that walk. I looked around to see that nothing much changed, besides the fact that there were Christmas decorations spread around, along with the tree in the corner.

I closed my eyes for a moment until I heard Betty near the living room. I shifted up, and she sat down on her father's chair.

She crossed her legs, placing both hands on her knee. "So, something happened while you were away-"

"You and Jughead?"

Her eyes widened, her not expecting me to know about that.

"Yeah. I wanted to apologize about that and-"

"It's fine, Betty," I assured, giving a friendly smile.

"But it's not," she shook her head. "I mean, I know he kissed  _me_  but I want to be transparent with you. I gave in a little bit," she bit her thumbnail.

Suddenly, the boiling milk was heard splashing on the element in the kitchen.

"Shit!" She jumped up, running to the kitchen.

I sat there, slightly dumbfounded. I mean, if Betty went with it then why wasn't  _she_  dating him instead of me?

After about five minutes, she came back with two hot chocolates covered with marshmallows and whipped cream.

I happily took mine, glad that something good came out of this conversation.

"So, I went with it. BUT! I  _did_  stop it," she tried to justify herself.

I took a light sip of hot chocolate. "Okay, and then what happened?"

She shrugged and looked at me. "I told him that he's looking for you in the wrong places, and he agreed. Then we went to Pop's to see everyone else. He was a hot mess though, Cath."

I looked down at my hot chocolate before murmuring: "I know..."

She began to laugh a little, more-so angry. "But you really don't?"

I looked up at her, confused.

Roughly, she placed down her mug.

"You didn't see him go dark. His abrupt transition from having Pop's with his friends to joining a gang! You didn't have to worry when he holed himself up in his trailer for days. No contact! Even if he says he's mad at you now, he isn't! He loves you! It's so painfully obvious! He was hurting badly when you were gone, and he probably still is. None of us want to see him like this, but it's only up to you in order to pull him out of it. Only  _you_ can help him!"

Betty was upset, and rightfully so. I could tell by how her eyes were practically bulging out of her head, her fists slightly clenched. She searched for  _some_  kind of response from me. I was stiff, absorbing everything she said.

"You really think he doesn't hate me right now?" I softly asked, looking back at her.

Betty's defensive attitude morphed into a more gentle one. "No," she let out a sigh. "I saw how he was staring at you while you were talking about Shellville during lunch."

I blew on my drink, in an attempt to cool it off. I clutched it, bracing for an answer to my next question.

"Do you still love him?"

Betty just stared at me, helpless. Before she let the silence speak for herself she answered.

"Yeah," she answered. "But I can't date him. I told you-"

"Right, right," I nodded, looking away from her. I didn't know how to feel. Betrayal, pity, or sorrow?

"Hey. Look at me," Betty demanded, leaning closer to me.

I looked back at her, feeling tears incoming.

"I'm telling you all of this so you don't make the same mistakes I did. Even though you completely ditched Jug, I'm still glad that he's hooked on you and not some random girl. I know that you can fix all of this. Fix him." She gave a kind, genuine smile.

A tear slipped down my cheek as I nodded, smiling. I wiped it away and sniffled.

I took a gulp of hot chocolate, needing to calm down.

"Also, even though I feel this way, I would never, and I mean  _never_  try to sabotage your guy's relationship. You're my friends," she reminded me, reaching over to pat my leg.

"Yeah," I gave a gentle laugh. "Thanks, Betty. I needed that."

"I'm always here. Now let's finish our hot chocolate and watch a movie or something before you head out again," she suggested.

"Sounds like a date!"

Betty and I watched a Christmas Rom-Com despite it being two weeks past Christmas, but the weather and the lingering Christmas tree in the corner of the living room would say otherwise.

As much as I enjoyed hanging out with Betty, after what seemed like years, I missed Jughead.

I missed our little movie-thons, where we'd cuddle up on the couch, or bed, and he'd hold me. I missed the way his arm wrapped around my waist, offering me a sense of security. I missed him explaining a certain scene with eagerness in his breath, right next to my ear. I missed the goosebumps I'd get, and the way the hairs on my arm stood up, and how interested I'd be in what he had to say. I missed the closeness.

But what I missed more was my  _best friend_.

I intended to do something about these unspoken feelings.

I was going to take Jughead back.


	32. Deprived

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update: I still feel very bad for leaving yall hanging, so heres another chapter!

**Monday**

**Jan. 16th**

With my stomach full of hot chocolate, and my mind inspired by a cheesy Rom-Com, I left Betty's feeling a wave of confidence. After suffering through another frigid walk, I made it back home where I started my car, turning the heater on.

I waited to warm up, cupping my hands and blowing air into them. It gave me time to think about what I was about to do.

I imagined myself pulling up to Jughead's trailer, him opening the door, and giving each other a longing stare, before collapsing into a fit of kisses.

I smiled a little to myself, feeling my cheeks, nose, and ears turn rosy from the excitement.

I grew impatient and pulled out into the road, driving towards the South Side.

I imagined what could go wrong. The worst being Jughead not feeling the same way. The other is him not being home. Biting my lip, I worried about his reaction but knew that if I didn't confess at that moment, I wouldn't have any other chance.

With all of the thoughts running through my head, it made the drive much quicker. Before I knew it, I pulled up in front of his trailer. Then everything happened so fast.

I hurried up the steps and knocked on his door with a smile on my face. I waited, shivering, but happy.

The door opened, and my mouth ran. "Jughead I-"

I was cut off by the sight of another girl. My smile immediately fell, and my heart dropped to my stomach.

"Who are  _you?_ " She asked.

I blinked a few times, trying to process my thoughts.

"Catherine," I told her. I so badly wanted to say with bold confidence "Jughead's girlfriend" but the sight of another girl in his trailer, the two alone, made me lose all of the confidence I once had.

"Oh. I've heard a lot about you," she glared me up and down with what I thought was a look of disapproval.

I took a hard swallow, crossing my arms.

"Well," I spoke with a slightly broken voice. I quickly cleared my throat, not wanting to come off as weak to her. "I can see that he's busy, so I'll talk to him later."

I heard his voice, faint in the background. "Hey Toni! Is that Jingles?"

Hurriedly, I retreated to my car, stuffing my hands in my pockets. The snow engulfed my feet, making it harder to leave as fast as I wanted. Once I got in, I turned on the car, teary eyed.

Driving away, I analyzed her in my mind. It was obvious that she was a serpent. The jacket screamed it. Her look of disapproval? She obviously didn't like me. How could she not like me? She didn't even know me! Jughead had probably told her about me though, but he should've said nice things since we were on the same page now.

There was only one answer in my mind.

 _She liked Jughead_.

I started to speed a little, my eyes watering. I couldn't tell if I was enraged, heartbroken, or both. I made it to a stoplight where I had to slam down the breaks, my car skidding a little bit into the intersection due to the ice. My eyes widened, shaken by the potential accident that could've happened. Thankfully, not many cars were out and about, especially on the back road.

I carefully drove home and finally allowed myself to cry. I stormed through the door and slammed it behind me, letting it all out knowing that my parents still weren't home.

I sobbed as waves of thoughts flooded my head, some outrageous, and some that could be true.

I had so many questions. Were they together? Was she going to take him away from me? And most importantly, what was I going to do about it?

What  _was_  I going to do about it?

I climbed the stairs, taking my backpack I previously tossed to the top earlier and chucked it in my room. I fell into bed, my sacred place, and reflected.

As I laid there, coming up with some of the craziest ideas I had ever thought of, I felt deprived.

Specifically, deprived of Jughead's touch.

A few months ago, if he had seen me at that moment, he'd shush me gently and assure that it was all okay. He'd hold my hand. He'd hug me. He'd give me rough and soft kisses. He gave me enough to feel okay.

But I didn't. I didn't feel okay. I felt alone. Cold. Deprived.

I could only text one person, who knew that feeling better than I: Betty.

 **Me:**  So I went to Jughead's

 **Betty:**  And??

 **Me:**  There was a girl at his place.

 **Betty:**  


	33. Slither

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***SMUTT WARNING*** You've been warned ;) It's honestly very light and nothing too intense. Just the basics.
> 
> Also, happy new years! I finished another story I've been working on, so I should be more on top of updates <3

**Friday**

**Jan. 20th**

My breath was jagged, my hands trembling as I stared back at myself in the mirror.

I wore lacy black lingerie, which accentuated my breasts, and was tight around my behind. I'd be lying if I didn't feel sexy, but that didn't mean I felt good about doing all of this.

Dancing in front of strangers was a thousand miles out of my comfort zone, but it needed to be done.

The woman, Lucille, was curling my hair. Another woman named Darlene was doing my makeup, which was a heavy smokey eye and red lipstick, along with concealer and fake lashes.

I was a build-a-bear slut.

"Aw, the poor girl's nerves are shooting through the roof!" Darlene said to Lucille, sounding like she pitied me.

"Ain't that cute. Y'know, my first time I was nervous too. Next thing I knew, I lost myself. That pole became my best friend, and still is." Lucille patted my shoulder in support.

That was the thing. I didn't  _want_  the pole as my best friend. Apart of me wanted Jughead to barge in here and smack some sense into me. 

"I don't know what song I'm going to do," I laughed a little sheepishly.

"Oh! How about Pour Some Sugar On Me, by Def Leppard?" Lucille suggested.

"That's too basic. Pick somethin' slow, like Al Green," Darleen swooned.

"Thanks for the suggestions, but it's too old for me," I laughed. "I'll figure it out."

Darlene scoffed with Lucille. "Youngsters..."

With that, they were finished making me into a Serpent Barbie Doll.

I suggested a song to a man who asked me before I went on stage. The girls put me in some crazy high red stiletto's to start out. They assured me that I could kick them off anytime I wanted to.

With that in mind, I strutted towards the pole as "Breaking Down" by Florence + the Machine played over the speakers. I was quickly given a microphone, which I didn't expect at all.

The spotlight was on me, and it was time to shine.

" _All alone..._  
_It was always there to see..._  
_And even on my own_  
_It was always standing next to me..."_

I swang around the pole slowly, before sliding down it, the coldness touching my bare back. I sang more lines and graciously rose up from the bottom, pressing my boobs against the pole.

The pole felt as though it was greasy and grimy.

I felt  _disgusting._

Mostly because I saw how older men ogled and hollered at me. I continued to sing the chorus, somewhat weakly, almost defeated.

" _Ahhhhhhhh..._  
_I think I'm breaking down again..._  
_Ahhhhhhhhh..._  
_I think I'm-"_

Without warning, the mic was cut and the music was slowed down to a stop, to which all of the men groaned in disappointment.

Harsh footsteps slowly strolled across the stage.

"Sorry 'bout that, fellas!"

I turned, my eyes wide with shock and slight fear.

F.P. walked over to me with a large leather jacket — most likely his — and draped it over my shoulders. "Shows over for this young lady, but let's have Darlene come right back out, eh? Give her a round of applause!"

Then, he roughly grabbed me and forced me off of the stage with him all the way until we were in his office, with all of the privacy in the world.

After slamming the door behind him, he took my shoulders and shook me.

"What the  _HELL_  were you thinkin'?!" He shouted at me, his eyes practically bulging out of his head.

"It's a long story-"

"It better be! Sit your ass down!" he pointed to his office chair, the same one Gilbert was beaten in.

I did as told, a little uncomfortable to be talking to my ex-boyfriend's dad in sexy lingerie, my boobs nearly popping out from how tight Lucille made it on me.

"So while you were in jail, Jughead and I-"

"Broke up. Yeah, I know! I'm not focused on that, mostly since it ain't my business. I want to know why you were trying to get in," he demanded, pacing around.

My jaw clenched as I tried to form a short and sweet explanation.

"I wanted to be closer to Jughead..." I flat out said, my voice cracking slightly. A tear quickly slipped out, to which I wiped it away with a small sniffle. "I miss him, and I thought that this was a solution. I thought maybe... I could work my way back to him if I joined and caught his attention. If I spent more time with him than Ton-"

I stopped myself, not wanting to spill my guts to F.P, but it was too late.

"Toni?" F.P. questioned, before laughing a bit. "She's as gay as they come."

I looked up at him, confused. "What?"

"I mean, she likes guys, but I saw how she stared at you up there," F.P. assured me.

I blinked a few times at him, and then at the floor. I couldn't help but start laughing at how silly I was. She wasn't looking me up and down to be rude! She was checking me out!

F.P. moved over to me as I buried my face in my hands, feeling stupid and embarrassed.

"Hey. Look at me," he crouched beside me. I dropped my hands into my lap and picked up my head, giving him my undivided attention. "So technically you aren't a serpent because you didn't finish your dance."

I nodded, relieved to hear. "Good, but how am I going to get back with Jug?"

F.P. sighed, and pondered for a moment. I could smell the alcohol lingering on his breath as he sighed one too many times.

"Okay," he began. "I'll give you a new serpent jacket. You can pretend to be a serpent, but don't get carried away with the idea. Ya hear?"

I nodded excitedly, my eyes wide.

"Thank you! Thank you  _so_ much!" I smiled at him. "I won't hurt your son ever again.  _I swear my life to you_."

"Careful with your words, Bell," he grinned. "Wait. You need a tattoo."

With that, he got up and rummaged through his desk before pulling out a cheesy fake water tattoo of the Serpent logo.

After grabbing a wet rag from downstairs, he handed it to me.

"I know where you should put it to make him go nuts," he chuckled a little. He pointed at his own chest, to which I looked down at mine and started to laugh.

I placed the tattoo right above my boob, soaking it down, and removing it. F.P. couldn't stop laughing, clapping his hands a little.

"I can only imagine his face! Oh man. Don't tell him I suggested this," he begged.

"My lips are sealed," I smiled, calming down from laughing so much.

"Now change outta that dumb outfit and get rid of those raccoon eyes. You got a boy to get."

I quickly got up from his chair and took off my stilettos, picked them up, and scampered out of his room. I walked down the stairs and made my way towards the back of the stage, where I saw Jughead talking to Toni, nodding angrily with his arms crossed.

"Oh shit!" I said to myself, which was masked by all of the guys chatting and hooting.

_I didn't have time to change._

I ran to my clothes and jimmied on my pants, then grabbing a serpent jacket from a chair and zipping it up halfway. I put on my normal shoes and snuck my way to the front door.

Once I made it, I looked back to accidentally make eye contact with Jughead. His eyes widened with fury, and mine with fear.

As soon as he pushed past the first person out of many, I scurried out of the Whyte Wyrm.

I walked hurriedly, unable to run because of how slippery the ice was. I nearly fell once with how fast I was walking, but risked it, knowing I was about to get an earful.

**"** **_WHAT THE HELL, CATHERINE?!"_ **

I halted in my steps, knowing it was too late. Running away would make things far worse.

I heard the snow crunch under his rough footsteps, which grew louder and louder.

He stepped in front of me and grabbed the collar of the serpent jacket I wore. We were both so close that our cloudy breaths hit each other as we breathed heavily from running.

He then looked down to see that I was in the lingerie still.

"You really did the dance, didn't you?" He looked at me with pure disgust spread across his face.

I couldn't help but tear up, feeling so small compared to him. I moved the jacket out of the way to show him the tattoo. "Yeah. I did. They all  _loved_  me up there. I even got that tattoo!"

"WHO LET YOU IN?" He shouted in my face.

"YOUR DAD!" I yelled back in a sob.

He suddenly stopped being angry and looked confused. "M-my dad? He's in there?!" He exclaimed, letting go of me.

He took a step towards the Whyte Wyrm and stopped. After standing there for a few seconds, he came back to me.

"What are you doing? Don't you want to see your dad? Introduce him to your new girlfriend?" I taunted. I knew Toni was bi, but she was still a threat to me nonetheless. I wanted to hear Jughead promise that they were nothing.

Jughead grabbed my jacket again, more firm than before. "My dad can wait. As for Toni, do you want to know the truth?"

"I do," I nodded, the tears on my cheeks starting to freeze a little. I could practically see the dark smoky makeup run down my face, my nose red from the crying and the cold.

"Okay. Here's the truth," he took a deep breath. "We kissed.  _Once_. It was when you were gone."

I rolled my eyes and pushed him off of me.

"I  _needed_  you!" He raised his voice, getting more in my face.

"So you kissed Betty. Then you kissed Toni. Who else? Veronica?" I became hysterical. "No, wait! Kevin too, right?"

"GOD, CATHERINE! Why would you do something so stupid?" He scolded me through his teeth.

"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!"

I covered my mouth, my tears sliding down my face with complete ease. The environment became quiet, besides the rustles of trees from the wind and snow.

He stormed up to me and grabbed my shoulders tightly, still looking upset.

"You wanna know who else?" He asked, referring to his kisses.

Before I could think, he pulled me into a rough and long kiss. I pressed my hands on his chest at first, before sliding them over his shoulders and behind his neck. We indulged ourselves, practically starving from each other's affection for months. Our breaths were heavy, but it kept our faces warm.

I did end up pushing him off.

"Wait! Wait," I stepped back.

He let go, his lips covered in red lipstick. His face seemed confused and scared. He was scared of anything that I was about to say. If it was going to ruin what we have.

I just smiled at him and scratched off some of the serpent tattoo.

"I'm crazy, Jones. Not  _that_  crazy."

His eyes lit up and a smile came across his face.

"You're not-?"

I shook my head, laughing a little.

"But the outfit?!" He pointed at it.

"I mean, I was  _going_  to. That was my full intention, but your dad cut my dance-off halfway and helped me out a little," I tugged on the jacket a little.

He ran back up to me, pulling me into a more passionate kiss, balling my hair in his fist.

Suddenly, he placed his hand on my back and pulled us closer, pulling away from the kiss as he looked down at me with a strange stare.

A stare of dominance.

"Let's put that lingerie to use, huh?" He spoke quietly, just for our little bubble away from the rest of the world.

"Sounds good to me," I giggled, unable to stop smiling.

He threw his arm around me and guided us to his bike, where we hopped on and went straight to his trailer.

Jughead flung the door open, taking my hand and guiding me in. The door slammed shut behind us, leaving us both alone and in the dark.

I strutted up toward him and started to kiss his neck, to his jaw, cheek, before making it to his lips.

"Hold on a second," he placed his finger over my red stained lips. "I want this to be right. Give me a minute."

I let go of him, leaning against the wall.

I was shaking.

This was my first, and my adrenaline was at its peak.

Suddenly, I heard a slow song begin to play. It started off as faded and quiet, and then built up to loud.

I watched as Jughead hurriedly lit some small candles — most likely used for power outages — and placed them around the living room and the bedroom.

The heat kicked on, which officially set the mood.

" _Put your head on my shoulder!_  
_Hold me in your arms._  
_Baby,_  
_Squeeze me oh so tight._  
_Show me,_  
_That you love me too..."_

Jughead sang along to the lyrics playfully as he took my hand and made me dance with him. We became close, and then he said: "Let's get this thing off of you."

Slowly, he took the serpent jacket off my shoulders as we made eye contact, swaying back and forth.

I leaned in, each second between us feeling like a minute. As we kissed, his jacket fell off of him too. Like snakes shedding their skin.

" _Put your lips next to mine, dear!_  
_Won't you kiss me once?_  
_Baby,_  
_Just a kiss goodnight?_  
_Maybe,_  
_You and I will fall in love."_

My lips found their way to the crevice of Jug's neck, where I lingered as his hands snaked around to my back, undoing the hooks. My hands slid down to his waist, and our lips found our way back to each other.

" _People say that love is a game._  
_A game you just can't win!_  
_If there's a way,_  
_I'll find it someday!_  
_And then this fool will rush in!_ "

Our bare bodies pressed against each other, our breaths heavy. Jughead was surprisingly rough, but I liked it.

We made our way into the bedroom where the music faded down, and noises escaped from our lips as we grasped parts of each other; my nails scratching his back, his hands squeezing my chest.

My hands reached for the sheets, grasping it into a ball as I gasped: "Jughead!" My eyes rolling to the back of my head as I entered complete bliss.

" _Put your head on my shoulder!_  
_Whisper in my ear_  
_Baby,_  
_Words I want to hear!_  
_Tell me,_  
_Tell me that you love me too!_ "


	34. Restoration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty short but sweet chapter! Big uwu vibes

**Saturday**

**Jan. 21st**

_Kisses._

It's the best alarm clock someone can get.

My eyes slowly opened upon feeling his lips press against my collarbone, my neck, and then my cheek.

I lazily lolled my head over to see Jughead more awake than I, with a cheesy smile and a loving gaze.

"Morning," he said, his voice slightly hoarse from sleeping in the coldest room of the trailer.

"Hey there," I smiled, laughing a little. I placed my hand on his cheek gently, bringing his face to mine for a kiss. It was a long kiss, mostly because we were still too tired.

We pulled away, looking at each other once again in admiration.

I sighed. "I wish we could stay like this forever..."

"Why not?" He pulled me closer, looking me up and down. "You texted your parents last night, right?"

I did when he blew out the candles before we went to "Sleep." Which was a fancy way of saying "Talking to each other for the rest of the night about silly scenarios about our future."

"Yeah, but you know how they are now." I looked up at the ceiling. "Besides. Your dad doesn't know I'm in here. I can leave without him even knowing," I grinned, before looking over to Jughead.

"It's his fault anyway. He knew what he was doing when he put that tattoo there," he poked my chest, unable to stop smiling.

I laughed a little and rolled on top of him, now sitting up. I leaned down and gave him one last kiss in bed.

"C'mon. Let's get ready," I patted his chest. "We'll have more moments like these in the future. I promise."

I got off of him and started to pull on my pants. My shirt and underwear were already on, just in case F.P.  _did_ end up walking in.

I walked over to the bedside and picked up my phone, which had only twenty percent left. I texted my parents that I'd be home soon and that I was just meeting Jughead at his house.

Jughead got up after me, already in his boxers. He threw on his S tee shirt, which I watched curiously, thinking. After getting out of bed, he turned to see the grin I had on my face as I stared.

"What?"

"Nothing." I shrugged. "I was just thinking about how comfortable your tee shirts must be."

He laughed a little under his breath. "How about next time I'll let you borrow one."

"Sounds good to me!" I smiled, giddy. I left his room, quiet, assuming F.P. was sleeping after being at the Whyte Wyrm later than us.

I walked down the hall, silently past his room, and made it to the kitchen.

I was  _dead wrong_.

My cheeks flushed red as I halted, seeing F.P. drinking a cup of coffee, hiding his cocky grin behind the cup. He took a sip, let out a satisfied sigh, and set it down.

"Mornin', Bell," he stared at me, brows raised in intrigue.

"Mr. Jones," I gave a respectful nod.

"There's still a fresh pot if you want some," He gestured behind me, where there was enough for two more cups. I couldn't  _not_  take one since he made it specifically for us.

"Sure. I could wake up a little," I nervously smiled, turning to the pot.

I begged God to have Jughead come into the kitchen, finding it all too awkward to bare.

"By the way, I think at this point you can call me F.P," I heard the smile in his voice. I looked over my shoulder, but couldn't help but to smile a little too.

"In that case, you can call me Cath," I told him.

"Ah... I guess."

Jughead stepped down the hallway and practically jumped when he saw his dad sitting at the table.

"Woah! Dad?!" He exclaimed.

F.P. got out of his seat with a wide smile on his face, and promptly hugged his son. I had almost forgotten that Jughead skimped on seeing his dad again just to be with me.

I smiled, before sipping my cup of coffee. I was happy for Jughead. It seemed like he really needed all of this.

Just then, I heard F.P. whisper: "You're in deep waters, boy. We're gonna have a talk."

They pulled away and F.P. stared at his son, holding his neck before patting his shoulder. He gestured subtly to his room, where he passed me, made eye contact with a slight smile, and vanished into the hallway.

Jughead sighed and turned to me, dreading having to be lectured by his dad.

"Go," I nodded towards the hall. "I can wait." I raised my cup.

"Thank you." He walked over to me and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before following his father.

Now alone, I sipped on my cup of coffee and decided to watch TV. I sat down on the rough couch with tacky fabric and picked up the remote, only to find that it didn't work. I checked to see the batteries, realizing that there weren't any.

I groaned, took a sip, and got up to turn on the T.V. It came on to the local news, which talked about the weather. Apparently, nicer temperatures were to come soon, and the worst was over. Instead of heavy snow every day, it would be light and peaceful.

I was relieved since I've walked in the cold one times too many.

I quickly got bored of the news and took my drink with me to grab the lingerie from Jughead's room. I couldn't help but to stop for a brief moment and eavesdrop on their conversation.

It was hard to make out, but F.P. sounded upset and Jughead sounded briefly angry, which slowly turned to acceptance. I left, not wanting to get too attached and get caught. I grabbed the outfit and retreated to the living room, where F.P's door finally opened. I chugged the rest of the drink, wanting to leave and take a shower.

Jughead came out first, seeming content.

"You ready to go?" He asked, grabbing his serpent jacket. He then hesitated and took his normal jacket.

"Yeah," I smiled. I quickly put away the cup of coffee in the sink and went up to Jughead.

"Here," he wrapped his jacket around me. He grabbed another one of his worn jackets, still not his Serpent jacket.

He put his arm around me and guided us out of the trailer.

"Hey, Jug?" I questioned.

He looked at me, listening.

I pulled out the folded up lingerie from the back of my shirt. "What are we going to do about this?"

"Return it I guess. You don't want to borrow something from the Serpents," he scoffed. "We'll stop by on the way back. I have a few things I need to take care of."

"You gonna ice someone?" I teased, as we made it to his bike. I started to put on his helmet.

"Nah. Nothing like that," he assured.

We both got on his bike and drove away from the trailer, then went to the Whyte Wyrm.

He brought me in with him, and placed me near the bar to stay put.

I sat on a bar stool and went on my phone to check some social media's.

"Catherine, is it?"

I looked over my shoulder and made a double take. I turned around to find Toni standing in front of me.

"Yeah. You're Toni," I stated, a little salty still.

She just smiled, looking at the ground and then at me. "I think we got off on the wrong foot," she held out her hand, which had one of those gloves with the fingers torn off.

I stared at it and then gave in. I already had Jughead, so I didn't see the point in being angry anymore.

"You had quite a dance up there. You looked good," she complimented.

I laughed a little. "Thanks. It didn't feel good."

"Yeah, no. I tried to get rid of it but it's just a dumb ancient rule here," she rolled her eyes.

We both looked over, hearing some noise. Jughead was hugging some people, making his way over.

"I'll see you around then, Catherine," she smiled, before walking away towards Jughead.

I watched as she approached him, and he told her something to which she reacted with a smile and a hug, patting each other's back.

Jughead then made it back over to me, taking my hand. "Lingerie is taken care of."

"Nice!" I nodded in approval. I hopped off of the bar stool and walked with him towards the exit. "So what was up with all of the hugging?"

Jughead let out a sad sigh. "I'm hanging the old leather coat. I'm not a serpent anymore, technically."

"Technically?"

"I won't be active, but since my dad is the leader they're always going to be like a second family. But as far as anything goes, I'm a clean man," he looked down at me with a smile.

He opened the door for me, and we both were thrown back into the cold.

"Why? Did your dad say something?" I asked, curious.

"Well, yeah. That was apart of it. But it was mostly you. It gave me a wake-up call I guess. The whole dance and worrying about you made me realize how there isn't a good ending if I kept this up."

I stopped and looked up at him. "I'm proud of you, Jug. I mean, I doubt it's easy. It really is for the best though."

"Eh, it's not too bad. I just want to go back to how we used to be. If anything, even better," he took my shoulders with confidence.

"It'll be better," I promised. "I'll be here for the long run. I don't care what happens."

He pulled me close, his hand on my back. We had a brief, but loving kiss. He looked down into my eyes before smiling.

"C'mon. Let's get out of this cold."


	35. Bang!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Just a trigger warning about an actual trigger! Gun violence will be used in this chapter. You’ve been warned!

**Monday**

**May. 15th**

My stomach and face hurt from laughing so hard, my smile unable to go away no matter how hard I tried.

It was an early morning for Jughead and I, mostly because it was our six month anniversary. It was a big deal since neither of us have had such a long relationship before, and such a close one at that.

We were both sitting in Pop's, like we normally would, but we both treated ourselves to a loaded pancake, with lots of chocolate, sprinkles, and even ice cream! It screamed obesity, but we sure as hell deserved it.

Jughead pointed to his pancake with his spoon. "This has to be the best idea you've ever had, hands down," he smiled at me.

"I knew you'd be down. You're easy to treat since food is practically your religion," I teased him.

"You know me so well," he leaned in with a grin, before kissing me gently. I couldn't help but laugh a little afterward.

"What?" He asked, almost offended, thinking I was laughing at his kiss.

"I can taste the vanilla ice cream on your lips," I laughed even more.

He took his spoon and smothered his lips with it, so it was practically dripping.

"Come here," he leaned towards me as I pushed away, screaming and laughing.

"Jughead! NO! JUGHEAD MY MAKEUP!"

I had no chance.

He gave me a fat cold kiss on my cheek, before laughing hard himself, falling back into the corner of the booth in hysterics as he saw the ice cream slide down my cheek.

"You're so mean!" I took a napkin and dabbed the ice cream off my cheek, hoping to salvage my foundation and blush. "I spent a lot of time on my makeup today!"

"You can touch it up later..." he pulled me into a half hug. "Besides. I'm probably going to kiss all of it off eventually."

He leaned in for another kiss, and I pulled back.

He rolled his eyes. "These lips are clean."

I smiled again, giving into his embrace.

After making a mess of ourselves at Pop's, we walked to school with each other, hand in hand. We could've taken his bike, but the weather was beautiful! The leaves were already green, the flowers bloomed, and the skies were the bluest they've ever been since last year.

I had also bought him a new helmet since we kept passing around the only one he had, and I wanted both of us safe. Also, it was an easy Valentine's Day gift.

The air smelled of fresh pine and flowers, as they were lined up next to the sidewalk. It mixed with Jughead's cologne, which I could smell days on end. It was the type of scent that you smell when you finally come home after a long day, and you melt into the couch to get comfortable, knowing that your troubles were far away.

I nuzzled my head onto his shoulder as we walked, him telling me excitedly about the plot of the movie we were going to watch tonight.

As we were approaching school, we heard the bell ring and students scramble inside.

"Oh shit! We have to go!" I went for a sprint, until Jughead scooped me up and swung me around.

"Slow down, Jingles!" He smiled. "No rushing today. We have time."

After setting me down, I let out a deep breath realizing that we was right. We always did rush around, not absorbing the world around us.

"Besides," he continued. "I'm going to beat you to class."

Before I could process what he meant, he went for a sprint.

"HEY!"

I darted after him, catching up only slightly. He pushed through the doors, which closed behind him. I hit them a mere few seconds after, running through the threshold to have Jughead grab me and pull me into a hug, panting.

"I'll always win, Bell," he said, giving a cocky grin.

"Yeah, but maybe not at a fair race, Jones," I took his hand, bringing him to our first period where the bell had rung in the nick of time.

 

* * *

 

After pushing through class by class, it was finally time for lunch. Jughead and I held hands as we walked toward the table, under the tree with the most shade. The grass beneath our feet was flourishing with new life thanks to the spring.

"So, prom," Jughead brought up, a grin plastered on his face as he scoffed at the idea. "Never thought I'd be going to it with a date."

"Well, you are." I felt happy, almost giddy. "So what color should we match as? Red? Blue?"

"Why not black? Plain and hassle-free," Jughead suggested.

"Every girl is going to wear black for the exact same reason!"

We had just arrived to the table, where everyone was tuned into our conversation.

"Is this about prom?" Kevin breathed almost rapidly, ready to talk about anything prom related. He was a sucker for school dances, even though during the dance he'd act like it sucked to look cool.

"Yeah. We're discussing colors," I explained, opening my lunch bag. I handed half of my sub to Jughead since he didn't typically have enough money for lunch.

Veronica leaned close. "Don't pick black. That's what Archie and I are doing."

I shot a glare at Jughead, to drill in my point.

"Alright! Okay. Let's go with a velvet red. It's dark  _and_  colorful," he came to a compromise.

I nodded in approval slowly. "Okay... I can work with it."

"We're all going dress shopping together," Veronica eagerly told Betty and I.

Betty rolled her eyes with a slight sigh. "I think I might miss prom for this year."

"No!" Veronica and I exclaimed, which Betty flinched from our sudden yell.

"It's the first prom we get to experience! We were lucky to even get invited!" I pleaded. Typically it was only juniors and seniors who can participate, but since there was such a low turnout from them, they reached out to the sophomores.

"Exactly. I have two more years!" Betty argued.

"Look, Betty. I don't have a date either and I'm still-" Kevin made the longest gasp. So long, that we all thought he died for a few seconds. "We should go together! Please! Please!!! PLEA-"

"Kev! Okay!" Betty laughed. "Fine. I'll come. What color are we wearing?"

"Pink, because it's your color. It compliments your complexion and..."

Kevin droned on and on about the outfit choice, which we all listened in and out.

I looked up at Jughead, smiling a little. He glanced over at me, and then did a double take.

"What?" He asked, laughing slightly at how strange it was of me to just stare.

I shook my head. "Nothing. I just love you," I smiled even wider.

He rolled his eyes, smiling. Casually, he threw his arm around my shoulder and kissed my head, letting me lean on his shoulder.

Kevin babbled all the way until the bell rang, which we were quick to leave the table.

We entered the hall, and Jughead and I were about to part ways until he stopped me.

"Hey," he took my hand. I halted and turned to him, which he pulled me close. We were face to face, gazing into each other's eyes as his grip tightened slightly. I felt vulnerable, my walls let down. It wasn't a foreign feeling, but I felt secure at the same time.

He leaned down a little and kissed my forehead, then saying: "I love you more than you know."

I smiled gently, lifting his hand and placing it on my cheek. "I'll see you later."

With that, knowing that class was about to start any minute, I rushed down the hall. Only a few feet away, I heard a loud pump.

_It was a shotgun._

The world went from spinning slowly, time at a standstill; to spinning too fast for me to comprehend anything that was going on.

The gun went off, causing me to flinch and scream, to which a hand was roughly placed over my mouth.

Jughead was several feet away from me, a helpless look on his face.

" _CATHERINE!_ "

I broke free for a moment, my mouth released from the grip.

I reached out for him.

" _JUGHEAD!_ "

He tried to chase after me, being pushed back from several students trying to get out of the way and leave. Finally, I felt something prick my neck, causing me to pass out. All of the sounds of students screaming and stomping, along with Jughead's shouts were muffled into nothingness as my vision faded to black.

 

* * *

 

I watched as Catherine reached out for me, a final attempt to be saved.

I tried. I really tried!

I shoved students out of the way, some falling or hitting the wall. I've never felt so strong yet so weak at the same time.

Before I could reach her, Derek stuck — what looked like a tranquilizer — into her neck. It immediately hit her bloodstream, so she struggled for a mere few more seconds before collapsing into his arms.

"NO!" I screamed, watching as he threw her over his shoulder.

He fired the shotgun one last time into the air, to which everyone moved faster.

I finally had room to go after him.

As I sprinted towards him, a couple of seconds away, Archie slammed into me and practically pulled me away shouting: "IT'S NOT WORTH IT JUG! STOP! YOU'LL KILL YOURSELF!"

I could only scream and try and fight Archie as I saw him turn the corner with my girlfriend.

Once he vanished, I felt limp in Archie's arms. I had completely given up, all in a matter of a few seconds.

Archie threw my arm around his shoulder as he ran me into a classroom that was  _just_  about to lock their doors. Veronica and Betty were inside, watching with concern.

Archie laid me down on the floor where Veronica and Betty both caressed me, asking what happened to Catherine and Kevin.

My mouth opened as I tried to speak, but the shock was lodged in my esophagus, causing it to be impossible to explain.

"It was Derek," Archie spoke for me, his voice solemn and sad. "He took Catherine."

"That man is the devil incarnate..." Veronica shook her head, angry. "We'll get her back, Jughead."

"Yeah," Betty agreed. "All of us are here. You're not alone in this."

I picked my head up, tears streaming down my face. My throat suddenly cleared as I looked around to see my friends, determination all over their faces along with sorrow.

I took a hard swallow.

"He's not getting away with this."

As soon as the coast was clear, school was dismissed due to the fact that it was a school shooting. Thankfully, no one was injured, besides Catherine of course.

Slowly, I was able to come to my senses and stop shaking and crying. I had to. If I was like this for a week, nothing would get done.

We all walked out of school, when Sheriff Keller and Principal Weatherbee, And Detective Bell both stopped us by the front doors.

"We have to ask you kids some questions," Catherine's Mom told us, her voice still shaken. She probably gained wind of the news. I could tell by her desperate eyes and frail voice.

"We can either take this down at the station or Weatherbee's office," Sheriff Keller explained.

"Station. I've felt like I've spent an eternity here already," I crossed my arms, itching to get away from the crime scene.

Keller looked at everyone else, which they nodded in confirmation.

"Is Kevin okay, Sheriff? We haven't seen him," Betty questioned.

"My boy's alright. He's the one that called me first thing," the Sheriff gave a kind acknowledging smile. "Since there's so many of you's, one of y'all is going to go with Detective Bell here," he nodded towards her.

"Jughead will," she plucked me from the group. I was about to be annoyed when I realized that she was going through the same hell that I am, and was looking for a friend to relate to.

I turned to everyone who stared at me, wide-eyed, wondering what was my next move. I gave a slight nod, to assure them that I was going to be okay. They all seemed to relax a little, but were still tense from the whole ordeal.

I walked over to Miss. Bell and let her guide me to her car. She placed her hand on my back, rubbing it in support and comfort.

"I can't even imagine what you're going through, Jughead," she sighed.

"Not as much as you," I said. It was true. Catherine was her own flesh and blood.

We got into her car, which she started up right away.

"So I'm talking to you as her mother. Off the records," she pulled out of the parking space. "What happened?"

I looked down at my hands, fiddling with them as I gathered all of the moments.

"It all happened in a blur," I scoffed, a slight smile of disbelief on my face. "The first thing, I let her go to her next class, and then a few seconds and steps later she was... snatched."

"By who?" She asked. "If you know, of course."

"Derek. Her ex."

Her speed accelerated, her grip on the wheel tightening.

"The serpent? The one that ran her off of the road? The one that hurt her?" She demanded.

"How do you-"

"Once everything blew over after she came back from Shellville, we had a spill session," she explained. "It's a mother-daughter thing," she smiled a little, reflecting.

We arrived to the Sheriff's station. Once we pulled into the parking spot, she stopped the car and turned to me.

"You're a good kid, Jughead. You've always been. I trust that you make the right decisions today. Tell the truth, and let us handle it. If you have any leads, come straight to me or Keller. Capisce?" She told me. Her stiff eye contact made me feel as if she was opening me up, looking at all of my deepest secrets. I gulped and nodded.

"We're on the same team, Ms. Bell. We all want Catherine home," I reminded.

Her eyes grazed over my body before returning to my eyes, looking for any signs of lying or uncomfortableness. "And that we are," she agreed.

She kicked open the car door, and I left, closing the door behind us.

The detective burst through the double doors of the station, which stayed open long enough for me to walk in. She walked quickly, in a rush to find answers.

I was introduced to an empty room with only a table and two chairs. She huffed in frustration before storming down the hall. I overheard something about adding more chairs. I quietly sat down, fiddling my thumbs and tapping my foot on the ground rapidly. I was still shaken from the whole ordeal, but my nerves were worked up from worrying about Catherine.

I thought about what he could be doing to her. Touching her. Hitting her.  _Killing her_.

I almost wanted to throw up at the thought, but I took a hard swallow, knowing that if I didn't keep myself together nothing would be solved.

Thankfully, the detective walked in with two chairs in hand, and a secretary of sorts with another two; six chairs in the room, total.

Not soon after, Sheriff Keller ushered Betty, Archie, and Veronica into the room. All of them seemed pale, their faces grave. I ran my hands down my face, trying to calm down but it was nearly impossible.

Sheriff Keller sat down across the table alongside Detective Bell, while the rest of us sat beside each other on the opposite side. I had never heard a room full of this many people so quiet.

The Sheriff placed down a tape recorder and hit the record button, and the tape began to spin.

"Let's get started, shall we?"


	36. Desparation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW again!! Obviously, they're going to be talking about the school shooting, so you've been warned!

**Monday**

**May. 15th**

Sheriff Keller leaned into the microphone, saying: "This case is regarding the school shooting of Riverdale High, along with the disappearance of Catherine Bell."

Archie, Veronica, Betty, and I glanced at each other nervously. The Sheriff turned the mic to us, which we all stared at before looking at the two.

"How did the day start, Jughead? Any abnormalities?" Keller asked, narrowing his eyes at me.

I shook my head, wiping my clammy hands on my pants. "Well, I picked her up and took her to Pop's since it was our six month anniversary-"

Suddenly, my throat tightened at the reminder. This was supposed to be  _our_  day.

"It's okay, Jughead," the detective assured. "Take your time."

Betty rubbed my back, helping to comfort me. I took a deep breath and looked back at the Sheriff. "Then we went to school, just barely making the bell. I was with her all the way to first period."

The Sheriff scanned over the others. "Do you kids have classes with Catherine too? Specifically, ones that Jughead doesn't have?"

They all nodded.

Looking back at me, the Sheriff asked: "Continue, Mr. Jones. How was lunch?"

"Fine, we all talked about prom," I looked over to everyone else, to which they nodded in approval. I looked back at the Sheriff, growing slightly impatient. "I was basically with Catherine the whole morning, and nothing strange happened."

He nodded, thinking to himself. "So after lunch, around 12:30, what happened?"

"We all went to our classes, but left Jughead and Catherine behind since they were talking about something private," Veronica explained, looking over to me.

The Sheriff's eyes crossed over to me, curious.

I took a deep breath, not feeling comfortable sharing our intimate moments.

"It was flirting talk... and we exchanged I love you's before separating. I didn't see him since he blended into the crowd, but she backed right into his arms. He pumped his shotgun- Wait, no. When she was close enough to him, he fired his gun, and while she was frozen he took her. I tried to get to her, but he stuck her with some sort of syringe-"

"A sedative. Probably a tranquilizer," Keller leaned over to the detective, who was listening quietly and intensely. Her eyes didn't lift off of me the whole time, her mouth hidden behind her hand causing it to be hard to see any emotion.

"Yeah," I agreed with his notion. "Anyways, I tried to get to him as he dragged her away, but-"

"I stopped him," Archie cut me off. We looked at each other, and I slowly looked back to the Sheriff. "He was going towards a man with a shotgun! I couldn't just watch. And then they just disappeared around the corner."

"The boys came into our math class, right as the teacher was finishing locking the door," Betty added.

We looked at the Sheriff, almost expecting him to fill in the gaps. He had nothing, which was no surprise.

"So what does he look like? What's his M.O.?"

"Uh..." I pondered, trying to remember. "His hair isn't platinum blonde anymore. It's dark brown. His eyes were bloodshot from all of the drugs. Um... a leather jacket, blue jeans, blue eyes." I looked around to my friends, which they all nodded in agreement.

He paused the recording, most likely because he was going to add more notes once we left.

"Thank you, kids. We'll keep in touch-"

The detective cleared her throat awfully loud, to which the Sheriff looked at her, confused.

"I'm sorry kids," she apologized. "I need you to give me time stamps. Especially you, Jughead. It doesn't have to be a hundred percent accurate, but it would be awesome if you can!"

She nudged Keller, who quickly got up from his chair and retrieved papers for us to write on. We spent as much time as we needed, narrowing down each hour. Of course, I spent the longest of the rest trying to connect the dots. The day felt hazy to me, even though it should've been more clear to figure out the hours.

Then once we finished, we had to describe Derek to the detective. We gave the simple brown hair, serpent jacket, rugged look, bloodshot eyes description. His clothes were baggy, along with a chain hanging down by his pocket. He was obviously on some type of drug, either jingle-jangle or something more sinister. He had anger in his eyes, his grip tight on her.

My eyes widened, forcing myself to snap out of the trance. Each time I zoned out, reviewing the events that happened, my chest would tense, my throat closed, and my breathing slowed down to the point where I forgot to breathe.

Finally, after spending an hour and a half at the station, we were released with the typical "Let us do our jobs and you all stay home and be careful."

Upon walking outside, it started to trickle rain on us. It was light, but I could see in the distance that it was only going to get worse.

"I can call for a ride to take us home," Veronica looked at all of us, before locking onto me.

I shook my head. "Thanks, but I'm gonna walk back to school and get my bike. I didn't even think about it at the time," I flashed a façade of a smile.

"Hey. How about we all meet and talk things over tomorrow," Archie suggested.

"So soon? Shouldn't we take time?" Veronica questioned, finding his proposition incredibly bizarre.

"Exactly!" He exclaimed. "I know they're doing their work, but we can help too! We've done it before with Jason Blossom and we can do it again. The more time we waste, the fewer chances we have to find Catherine."

"If she's alive," I mumbled, my arms crossed. It pained me to say that, but it was a large chance it was true.

"Which she is," Archie said firmly, staring me down. "She's not dead until she's dead. Unless there's proof, she is still alive. So tomorrow, we meet. Pop's at ten in the morning. Okay?"

The girls nodded, as I kept looking at the ground, arms crossed.

Archie took a strong grip on my shoulder, making me look at his eyes.

"Tomorrow?"

After thinking about it, I sighed, nodding in defeat. It was only going to hurt me more, but if it meant that we could save Catherine, I'd do it in a flash.

With that, we all separated.

I walked in the rain to the school, which was a thirty-minute walk. It was long and torturous since I was practically forced to think about her. There was nothing else on my mind.

Once I got to my bike, I drove home to dad's trailer. His bike wasn't parked in front of the trailer, or anywherenoticeablee. I got off my motorcycle, walking towards the door. I tossed the helmet on the floor, not willing to take the time to lock it up. I shouted and cried, thrashing items around before I heard:

"Woah! What the hell, son?"

I turned to find my dad rushing in from the hallway.

"Derek took Catherine!" I cried out in anger.

"What do you mean? Like she left you for him?" He asked, confused.

"He came into the school with a goddamn gun and took her hostage. I don't know if she's dead or not, and it's driving me fucking crazy!" I vented, my voice harsh, face red.

My dad quickly brought me into a supportive hug, not knowing what else to do. I just stood there, crying, as he hugged me, trying to constrain my tantrum

"This'll be fixed, Jug. I promise you," he told me, sounding serious.

I scoffed. "Don't make promises you can't keep, dad."

"I never do."

With that, he let out a sigh and let go of me before rushing to his room.

"Get ready, son. We're going for a trip."

The last thing I wanted was to go anywhere. All I needed was the comfort of my own bed. I've been looking forward to engulfing myself with my blanket, my head sinking into the pillow as the world drifted away temporarily. Nonetheless, I knew I had no choice.

I waited for my dad, who walked out with his boots and his serpent jacket on. He grabbed his keys and led the way.

It was still pouring outside, maybe even harder than earlier. The skies lit up, before rumbling in anger. Almost as if the world was disturbed by Catherine's kidnapping.

My dad got on his bike before shouting: "Hop on!" The rain was loud, slamming into the floor and pelting my skin.

I got on and clipped on my helmet, the same one Catherine got me a mere few months ago.

After securing myself, dad kicked the bike stand and revved it up before speeding off.

"Where are we going?" I hollered over the rain.

"You'll see!"

After a short few minutes, we pulled up to the Whyte Wyrm, which looked dreary and depressed. In reality, everything looked that way. The trees were dripping, the skies gray.

Riverdale was in mourning.

Dad got off of the bike and so did I, carrying the helmet in with me. He burst through the doors before hollering "LISTEN UP, FELLAS!"

Everyone turned to see my dad and I, sopping wet from the outdoors.

I watched as he strolled up to the stage and took the microphone. I stayed where I was, not knowing what was going on.

"We have a job to do. We're 'bout to do some good this week," he began. "The best thing about the Serpents is that we're a family."

The crowd hooted in agreement, which my dad nodded.

"As a family, we ought to look out for each other. I assume y'all know Catherine. Jughead's girl," Dad looked at me with a grin.

Everyone else did, making noises of confirmation, before looking back at my dad.

"She's missin'. She was taken at school by a former serpent, Derek Johnson. He's bad news, as many of you remember."

The crowd sounded angry. My dad continued.

"Now, Catherine is a nice girl. She's practically one of us. She's family," my dad looked at me, before looking back at the crowd. "Derek's looking for blood. He wants to kill. We need to put all hands on deck to find her. This means searchin' the woods, the buildings, askin' 'round. We gotta show that the serpents ain't so bad! Now, who's with me!" Dad raised a strong fist.

The room went ballistic with support; stomping the floor, clapping, hooting and hollering! I couldn't help but smile, thankful that there was a better chance at finding her.

One of the guy's brought me into the crowd, where many roughly patted my shoulder, chest, and back. I heard many voices promising that they'd find her, or try their damned hardest.

I looked up, smiling, to see my dad looking down at me with a confident grin. He took the mic for one last time, saying: "Let's go find her! Jug will make posters and we'll all hang 'em up. In the meantime, comb the area!"

With that, the group shifted, many heading out the doors to their bikes. I then felt a hand on my shoulder. I quickly turned to see Sweet Pea and Toni.

"Need help with those posters?" She offered with a supportive smile.

"Yeah," I nodded, overwhelmed. "Let's head to my place and make them from there."

"Sounds like a plan," Sweet Pea nodded, clasping his hands together before rubbing them.

The two walked towards the doors, and then my dad hopped down from the stage. He approached me, pulling me into a half hug.

"We'll find her, Jug." He patted my back. "Now c'mon. We have some things to do."

I nodded, walking with my dad towards the door. Even though we had so many on our side, the nagging thoughts of Catherine being dead, or even outside of Riverdale banged volumes in my head.

Still, I wasn't going to lay around and wallow.

No matter what, we'll find her.

Dead or alive.


	37. Search Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Torture warning, forced drug use warning, yadda yadda.   
> Sorry for the long upload gap. I had good intentions to have a regular upload schedule, but anxiety and college aren't a good mix!

**Monday**

**May. 15th**

My eyes felt heavy, my heart beating in my head as loud noises from above me forced my eyes open. As my lids raised, my head lolled back and forth. It was a poor attempt at trying to snap out of this dreary haze I was engulfed in, but it wouldn't go away.

Everything was slightly blurry, but I could make out certain things. There was a couple of metal racks with bulks of beer and boxes on it. Across the way was a large heavy door, locked twice. My head fell to the side as I tried to observe my surroundings. To my right, the room went even further with another door, open, which seemed to be a small dimly lit closet. There were more racks. I turned to my left, where the wall was closer. A table was set against the dingy white brick walls. On it was a tray with needles and knives. But what caught my eye was the gun.

I then heard someone rummaging in the closet. I quickly panicked, pulling my arms only to find that I was tied down with ropes. They were itching my wrists, pulling at my skin, causing it to be red and irritated.

I would've screamed for help, but any noise I let out was weak. I had no energy flowing through me, as though I was drugged. It wouldn't surprise me if I were.

I watched as Derek walked through the door with a chair. My heart rate spiked, my eyes widening. Tears slipped down my cheeks.

He looked at me and then gave a half smile. "Hey, Catherine..." he greeted gently. "Seems that you're feeling the morphine. Eh?"

He dragged the chair to the table, before turning it towards me. After sitting down, he crossed his leg over his thigh and relaxed, watching with amusement.

"You got nothing to say? Not even a scream? A holler?" He questioned. "Go ahead. I'll give you one shot at someone hearing you."

I began to cry softly, but built up my yell. I shifted a little and let in a deep breath.

I screamed at the top of my lungs. "H...heEEEEELP!"

My voice was frail and weak and felt as though if I were more conscious I could've done better. I blew my one shot, and he knew that I would.

"Ooooh! Nice try, but you see... the walls are soundproof. I mean, you tried though," he clasped his hands, smiling a little at my pain.

I looked at him with pure anger brewing in my soul.

His smile quickly faded into anger. "Hey. You're the one that got with me in the first place. You wouldn't be in this situation if you hadn't gotten with me."

"Worst decision I've ever made," I uttered out.

Suddenly, metal items clattered on the table and Derek rushed over to me with a blade. He pressed it to my cheek, sitting down on my lap as if I were a chair. Just an object.

He got close to me. Close enough so that I could see his stubble, his bloodshot eyes, his under-eye circles, and smell the alcohol on his breath.

He pressed his blade into my cheek. "Nah. You have a pretty face. As for your body..." he glided his blade from my cheek to my shoulder.

"P-please," I sobbed, looking away with my eyes shut.

He forcefully grabbed my cheeks and turned my face to him. "Look at me when I talk to you."

I kept my eyes closed, crying even more. He gave me a hard smack.

"LOOK. AT. ME!"

My eyes shot open to find him angry. He made eye contact and then smiled.

"There's that vulnerability I was looking for..." he leaned closer, still holding my cheeks. He pressed his lips to mine, which I rejected. He didn't care.

He pulled away and looked at me again.

"You know, I saw your dance," he told me. "The one to get into the Serpents. You in that tight black lingerie," he breathed on me, caressing my cheek. "When I first met you, it was interesting. You were so naive. So innocent. Now?"

He grabbed my neck.

"Now you're a serpent slut."

With that, he sliced my collarbone. I winced in pain, moving around violently. He grabbed my face again and made me look at him once more.

"I can't forget you as long as you're alive. You are going to die soon. When I'm ready," he told me in a chilling, promising tone. "But before you do, I'll make sure you suffer like I did when you tried to get rid of me."

"But you're the one that left!" I cried out. "You hit me! You hurt my friends!"

"And I would do it all again if I could!" He shouted in my face, before cutting my arm. I let out a scream and cried even louder. The blood blossomed from my skin and dribbled down.

He got off of me, returning to the table.

"You're getting too talkative. You ever try Jingle-Jangle?" He asked, preparing the swirled paper stick for me.

I looked around, trying to figure out where I was before I was drugged again. I couldn't place my finger on it. It could be anywhere, but what I did know was that it was underground because of the lack of windows and coldness.

Derek walked over to me and forced my head back. "If you don't swallow this, there will be more blood. Got it?"

I nodded slightly, sniffling a little. With that, he forced my mouth open and poured it in. I swallowed all that he gave me and didn't feel the effects immediately.

"Now, as much as I could watch you cry and whine, I have more important things to do. So I'll see you whenever I feel like coming back. Could be an hour. Could be two days from now. Either way, you're stuck here, sweetheart."

With that, I began to feel the effects of Jingle-Jangle. I returned to my lucid state, which seemed worse than earlier. Derek packed away all of the metal objects but left the gun. He left out of the double-locked door, turned the lights off, and then locked them again.

I was trapped in the dark. All alone with myself and my weak screams, knowing that I may never be heard.

 

**Tuesday**

**May. 16th**

 

Riverdale High moved on from Catherine as if it was no big deal.

I walked down the halls to see the cheerleaders bickering with each other, Cheryl and all the other prestigious girls. I passed the lounge room where Archie, Reggie, and the jocks all messed around with each other, giving nuggies, rough shoves, as their heavy laughs filled the room.

My eyes fell to the floor as I paced to my locker, hoping that if I walked faster the day would pass faster.

I opened my locker, grabbing the textbook I needed for next class. As I clutched the book, I glanced over at Catherine's locker. There was nothing special about it, but my mornings were glummer.

She'd grab what she needed and then closed her locker. Immediately she'd lean on it and talk to me about her mind as I rummaged through mine. Or I'd let her quiz me on a test I needed to pass. Although I wasn't gifted in school, because of sheer laziness, Catherine always made sure I did my work. Naturally, she was an honor roll student and had a bright future.

She still does, but it's just a matter of finding her before it's too late.

I slammed my locker shut, a sudden burst of frustration. It caught some looks from others. Small groups of friends glared at me before conversing with each other; probably about Catherine or how weird I am.

There was no time to be hung up on the little things like gossip. With that in mind, I went to class.

Each period passed slowly, and I found myself looking at the clock more often than not. It was difficult to concentrate with Catherine being the only thing on my mind. She wouldn't want me to let my grades slip away, but I just couldn't help it.

Lunch felt almost like a godsend. I burst through the double doors and expected the skies to be clear and the grass to smell fresh and trimmed. To my disappointment, it was a cloudy day again, with very gentle sprinkles. It placed an even bigger dent in my mood, feeling as though I had no way to clear my head.

I scanned the outdoors and found everyone under a large shady tree, sitting on a red bench.

Hurriedly, I made it over to find them all with concerned faces.

"Jughead? You have no food?" Veronica asked, surprised and worried.

Normally when Catherine was at home sick, I would grab the free cafeteria slop. I had lost my appetite and haven't eaten since yesterday.

"Nah. I have more important things," I brushed it off, slinging my backpack into the table. I dug around—for a brief second—and pulled out piles and piles of posters. They all had a picture of Catherine on it. She was smiling and dazzling. It was my favorite photo of her, even though all of her photos were my favorite.

"Here," I handed stacks to everyone hurriedly, dividing them all somewhat equally. "I even bought tape last night for everyone."

I dug even further into my back and pulled out good quality scotch tape. I would've gotten the cheap kind, but these posters needed to stay up.

"If you need more posters, just tell me and I'll make them."

"Here, Jug," Betty gestured to the seat across from her, where Jingles and I would've normally sat. "You look pale. You need to eat!"

"I said I'm fine," I stood my ground. "Now, we need to talk about the search party. My dad and some Serpents are going through Fox Forest. And I talked with Sheriff Keller, and he says he'll look around Sweet Water River because of Jason, but he'll travel downstream. We obviously won't cover all the land, but search parties will be every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday," I rambled, stumbling over some words. I had so many words and thoughts to say, and my brain was shoveling them out of my mouth.

"Slow down, Jughead," Archie scoffed with a slight grin. "You've got it all figured out. You need to relax!"

I began to grow annoyed at how much they were all babying me. I obviously don't have it "all figured out" if she's not here right now.

"I'm going to go hang some posters in the halls while I have time. Catch you guys later."

I grabbed some paper from my bag, zipped it up, and threw it over my shoulder before walking away.

"He's losing it. I feel so bad for him," I overheard Kevin say to the others as I grew more distant.

I let it go since Kevin likes to start gossip as soon as someone leaves the table.

As I neared the doors, I heard footsteps run towards me.

Before I could process anything, Archie's hand hit the door, opening it for me. I turned to him with a look of confusion, before seeing Betty follow right behind him.

"We're not letting you do this alone, Jug," Archie told me, holding the door open.

Betty nodded and smiled softly. "She's our friend too, and if there's anything that helps we're ready to do it."

I let out a sigh of relief with a slight smile. "Thanks, guys. I really need help with this." I turned towards the empty halls. "Betty, you take the ground floor. Archie, you take upstairs. I'll do the gym and outside."

"Yes, sir!" Archie gave a salute, before rushing down the hall with Betty. I watched them walk with such determination and then turned outside again. I went from table to table, telling everyone about the search party and handed out some papers to those who wanted them.

I got an overwhelming amount of support, even from the meanest kids in school. By the end of lunch, I felt more confident about finding Catherine.

 

**Saturday**

**May. 20th**

 

The forest was damp, making it harder to scour. I walked beside my dad, who lead the other serpent guys and gals. It was difficult having to comb through the forest, kicking around sticky wet leaves and looking under every rock.

Catherine's name echoed all around the forest, which seemed useless. It's not like she would be hiding behind a tree, or in the branches. If anything, she'd be in the ground or in a shack. I prayed for a shack.

My phone rang, which made my heart skip a beat. It was Archie, who was by Sweet Water River.

Hurriedly, I answered.

"Anything?" I asked, desperate.

"I was going to ask you that," Archie replied.

I let out a sigh. "Nothing. Just trash and leaves," I shook my head.

"Give it time, son," my dad assured, narrowing his eyes at the trees and branches. "It's a good thing we haven't found nothin' yet."

He had a point.

Suddenly, I heard hollers and shouts come across Archie's line.

"Oh, shit," was all he said.

"What? Archie? ARCHIE?" I shouted, scared.

"You gotta come over here, fast."

I gave my dad a panicked look, which he quickly understood. He turned to everyone searching.

"Keep on lookin' everyone! Remember, the cut off time is five! We'll meet at the Wyrm after!"

With that, we both ran out of the forest, our hearts racing with fear.

Hurriedly, we hopped on my dad's bike and hauled ass to Sweet Water River, which was a mere ten-minute drive. Once we made it, we ran inside.

I shouted Archie's name several times until I heard a response. We followed the commotion until we caught up with everyone.

The Sheriff held a bag with a leather jacket; the same one I gave her and the same one she wore that day.

"T-that's good, right? No body?" I stammered, looking at my dad and the Sheriff for assurance.

Sheriff Keller looked down at the ground, letting out a sigh. "Look closer, boy. There's blood."

I looked closer, as told. My eyes widened upon seeing the crimson substance hidden in on the dark colors of the jacket. In fact, it was nearly coated with it.

I began to shake violently, tears welling in my eyes.

"Fuck!" I shouted, grabbing a fistful of my hair.

"It could be anyone's blood, Jug. It can be a random jacket. Who knows?" Archie tried to calm me.

"It's hers. I bought it for her," I sniffled.

"But there's still no body, son," my dad's hand laid supportively on my shoulder. "We oughta keep lookin, right Sheriff?"

He nodded, looking at me. "She's still out there. It's just a matter of time before she shows up."

I looked down at my hands to see that they were shaking. The thought of Catherine being dead, leaves barely covering her body, bugs eating her heart out, killed me inside. It would be such a careless and disrespectful way to kill someone, especially Catherine.

My shaking got out of control as images of her being dead, flashed through my mind and overwhelmed me. Her voice echoed in my head over and over.

" _JUGHEAD!_ "

I could practically feel her reach out to me. My heart raced, my brain crowded. Before I knew it, my body gave up and I collapsed onto the ground.

Catherine is probably dead, and if she isn't, she's in hell.


End file.
